Tough Love
by Cross of Fate
Summary: Number 3 to New Beginnings and The Honeymoon's Over. Mira follows her father's footsteps and goes on her own Pokemon adventure, but what will happen when she meets a boy, and falls in love? What about her unique ability? Will there be interference?
1. Preparation

It's the fan-fic everyone's been waiting for! Here's story number 3!

* * *

10 years since the time of "New Beginnings".

A small Eevee was sleeping peacefully on a bed that was clearly too big for her. It was 7:00, and the sun started shining through the window. Her eyelids were slowly lifted, and she let out a big yawn.

"Vee!" it cried.

It was its birthday, and she was turning ten years old. This meant that she would follow her father's footsteps, and begin her journey as a Pokemon trainer; but not as an Eevee.

She closed her eyes, and started growing. Her ears started shrinking, her tail disappeared, and her fur was gone. She turned into a young girl with long brown hair, the same shade as Eevee fur. Her face wore a big grin.

She put on a pair of jeans, a white top, and a brown jacket, and then sprinted down stairs. Her mom was in the kitchen cooking breakfast, and her father was surprisingly sitting at the table; he would normally be snoozing in bed at the moment. Sitting down in the living room were 5 Pokemon: Dewdrop the Espeon, Sunrise the Leafeon, Ember the Flareon, Sparky the Umbreon, and Dreamer the Glaceon. "Good morning Mira," they all said in perfect English, "Happy Birthday!"

"Good morning," she replied, and then sat down at the table with her father.

That day, Mira played with her older siblings in the backyard, and had chocolate fudge cake; her mother's specialty.

At night after dinner, she started opening presents, all of which were for her journey. Some were basic supplies, including Pokeballs, potions, a backpack, and a black belt designed for carrying Pokeballs. However, she was puzzled by a necklace with a stone star hanging from it.

"What's this?" she asked, hanging the charm around her neck.

"It's a special necklace with an Everstone trinket," her father explained, "It's so that you can choose when you want to evolve."

She opened the last box, which contained a Pokedex.

"I asked Prof.Oak to register you right away," her dad said with a smile, "so that you wouldn't have to go down to Pallet Town right away."

She put her own Pokeball onto the belt, and put her supplies and Pokedex into her new backpack. "Thank you so much everyone!"

"Wait," Misty said, "There's still one more present."

Mira's eyes grew bigger. "Really? Where is it!?"

Her mother signaled towards her siblings. "We decided that you should bring along one of your brothers or sisters. They would all want to join you on your journey, but you can only choose one."

_Hmm... _she thought, _I know that Sparky's the strongest, but how am I ever going to improve if I just start out with a powerful Pokemon? I think I'll choose..._

"Sunrise, do you want to come?"

"Leaf, Leafeon!"

Ash handed her Sunrise's Pokeball, which she also put on her belt.

"I don't think that it would be a good idea to leave just yet. Maybe tomorrow morning?"

"Okay, dad."

Misty put her hand on Mira's shoulder. "I need you to promise me one thing before you leave."

"What is it?"

"Cerulean City has a gym, but I just want you to get the badge and leave as soon as possible. Don't spend much time there, okay?"

"Alright, I'll be quick there."

"Now get some sleep, because you have a long day ahead of you."

* * *

I'll try to update again tomorrow if I have time. Feel free to review and give me ideas, since everything is up in the air right now. 


	2. A Friend and a Foe

sigh Here's the next chapter.

* * *

The next morning, Mira packed her clothes, lots of food, and her sleeping bag. It was finally time to start her Pokemon journey. Everyone was waiting for her downstairs, to wish her good luck. At the door, Ash handed her two small boxes, each with a bow on top.

"One is from May. She sent you something form the Hoenn region."

She ripped open the box, and found a PokeNav. "Wow!" She hooked it on to her belt.

"You remember who Gary is, right?"

"Yeah, he's that scientist who's working in the Shinnoh region."

"Umm..." Ash said nervously, "Yeah, that's right. Well, he sent you a gift as well. It's for emergencies only, though."

She lifted the lid off, and took out a purple ball with a M on it: a Masterball.

Her eyes grew huge, and she just stared at her present. Finally Misty piped up. "Don't forget to say hi to Brock for us."

"Okay," she said, as she stuffed the Masterball into her backpack as well. "I better start going now."

Everyone wished her goodbye, and she was off on her journey.

About an hour later...

"So here I am at Viridian Forest," she mumbled to herself. She was standing in a big grassy plain, and ahead of her was a thick forest of tall trees.

She started trudging through the growth, wondering if she'll see any Pokemon to catch. Suddenly she heard a scream, and a boy jumped out of a bush and ran into Mira, knocking both of them into the ground.

"Oww..." she groaned, rubbing her head. "What was that for?"

The boy had messy brown hair and was about Mira's age. His clothes were rough-looking, and he looked clearly frightened. He got up, and said, "Run! Quick, we need to get away!"

"Pidgeot!" A huge bird Pokemon burst through the trees.

Involuntarily, Mira took out a Pokeball and threw it. "Sunrise, go!"

Her Leafeon came out and stared at the Pidgeot.

_Why oh why must you do this to me..._ it groaned, _You know what you need to do..._

"Shadow Ball, now!"

The Leafeon shot out a ball of darkness, but it passed right threw the flying Pokemon.

"What are you doing?" the boy cried. "It's a normal type!"

"I knew that; I'm not stupid."

She turned to the Pidgeot "Leaf Blade!"

The Leafeon sliced the bird, but although it flinched, it was "not very effective." It then started flying up through the treetops into the air.

"Knock it out of the sky with Energy Ball!"

Sunrise released a green bubble, which splattered on the Pidgeot, lowering it towards the ground.

"Now," she said pointing towards the foe, "Use Last Resort!"

The Leafeon charged towards the Pidgeot, and using all of its power, slamming it into a nearby tree trunk.

"Pokeball, go!" she said, releasing an empty Pokeball into the air. It hit the Pidgeot, wiggled a few times, and then remained still.

"Impressive," said the boy.

* * *

I was hoping for more reviews...Anyways, I decided to add this chapter, but I still need opinions on these topics:

What's the boy's name?

What Pokemon does he have?

(To all of those who don't know, this trainer will eventually be Mira's boyfriend.)

If I don't get opinions, I won't update. Also, if anyone has ideas, I'll gladly hear them.


	3. Questions, but with or without an Answer

Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Remember, when you review, you support me, and I need support right now!

* * *

Mira hooked her new Pokeball onto her black belt. 

The boy suddenly said, "I'm sorry about running into you."

"It's okay, because I got myself a new Pokemon anyways."

"Yeah, I tried to catch that Pidgeot, but it knocked out all of my Pokemon, and started to chase me through the forest. Anyways, my name's Mark."

"Nice to meet you. My name's Mira; my father is the Viridian City Gym Leader."

Mark's eyes grew huge! "**You're** her daughter!?"

"Mhmm," she said while nodding.

"No wonder you're such a good trainer!"

"Umm...yeah thanks. I guess..."

"Well, where are you heading?"

"Pewter City."

"Do you mind if I follow you, since I don't have any Pokemon to use?"

"Sure, no problem."

They reached the Pokemon Center at sunset, when the sun casts its warm orange light over the town.

"Here are your Pokemon," said Nurse Joy as she handed them a Pokeball tray and some keys, "They've all been restored to full health. Also, here are the keys for your room. Unfortunately, you'll need to share a room tonight."

"Thanks," said Mira and Mark, as they walked away to find a place to sit.

"Hey," said Mark, "I want you to meet someone."

He took out his Pokeball, and released a small fox.

"Vulpix!" it said in a cheerful tone.

"Okay," said Mira, "This is Sunrise." She released one of the Pokeballs, and out came her older sister.

"Leaf? Eonnn..." (Translation: What do you want now? I was resting...)

Mira gave her the "evil eye" and she stopped whining.

"Anyways," she said as she took out a second Pokeball, "I guess I better name this guy." She released her newly caught Pidgeot.

"Pidgeot?"

"Hi there, what's your name?"

"Pid, Pidgeot." (Translation: You can't understand me, but anyways, it's Saroc.)

"Okay, Saroc, I hope we can be great friends. You're pretty strong-looking already!"

The Pidgeot's eyes grew immensely. "Pidgeot?"

Mira nodded.

"Mira," asked Mark, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what's inside the third Pokeball on your belt?" He was pointing at Mira's own Pokeball.

Mira's face paled. "Uhh..."

* * *

Yes, I know that it was a short chapter, but here comes trouble! What will Mira do? Another poll: 

1. Tell him! He should know your secret!

2. You just met, so don't tell him!

I need these opinions, but either way, he WILL find out one way or another.

(Some of you might have noticed that I changed the boy's name and his Pokemon.)


	4. Mira's First Win

A BIG thank you to everyone who put up with my complaining here's the next chapter.

* * *

It was almost as if Mira's mind blanked out for a moment. She finally snapped out of the trance when her sister started talking. 

"_Make up some excuse. You just met, so don't even think about telling him yet."_ said Sunrise.

"I'm not allowed to show the Pokemon inside."

Mark looked both puzzled and shocked. "Why not?"

"Umm...my parents told me only to use that Pokemon in an emergency or something like that." _In a way,_ she thought, _that __**is**__ true..._

"Alright," said Mark, "sorry for asking."

Mira let out a subtle sigh of relief, and the Leafeon beside her had a I-can't-believe-he-fell-for-that look on her face.

"Maybe I'll show you eventually, but not right now." _What am I saying!?_

"Okay, thanks. It's getting a bit late. What to go to our room now? It would be a good idea to get our sleep for the gym battle tomorrow. You **are** challenging the gym, aren't you?"

"Yeah, my parents are friends with the gym leader anyways."

The next day was clear, and the sun shined through the window in the trainers' room. Mira got up earlier that Mark, and took out Sunrise for a chat.

(Translations begin.)

"Good morning," said Mira.

"Good morning," replied the Leafeon.

"So...when do you think I should tell him, or maybe I shouldn't...I don't know; you're my big sister, so try to think of something."

"If you wanted a thinker, you should have brought Dewdrop. That way, you could also have her read his mind. Well anyways, see how things go. I don't suggest sharing your secret until you really feel you can trust him."

"Alright."

Mark's blanket started moving, and he got off of his bed.

"Good morning. You ready for breakfast?"

"In a sec."

After they ate breakfast, they went on over to the gym. Its outer walls were shaped to look like stone slabs.

"We're here," said Mira as she opened the huge doors.

Soon, a man with spiky hair and brown skin came out from one of the doors.

"Hey, welcome! You two are the first challengers of the day. Wait a sec." He paused and looked at Mira. "You're Ash and Misty's daughter, right?"

She nodded, "Yeah, my name's Mira, and you're Brock, the gym leader."

"Yep, I recognized you from the pictures your parents sent me. Anyways, who's you're friend?"

Gad to finally be part of the conversation, Mark said, "Hi, I'm Mark. Mira and I met in Viridian Forest."

"Nice to meet you. Now who goes first?"

"I will," said Mira, who stepped a foot forward, like an Eevee might have done.

"Okay, let's start."

Mira of course sent out Sunrise, who KO'd all of Brock's Pokemon just by using Leaf Blade. Afterwards, both Brock and Mark were stunned.

"Wow! I didn't expect that from a beginner. I never lost **that** fast before!"

"I'm not an entire beginner." _I __**did**__ train some of my siblings, and myself as well._

"Well, I better heal my Pokemon." He turned to Mark. "You're up next when I return."

Mark gulped; Mira won without making any effort, but his Vulpix has a type disadvantage, and isn't as strong as her Leafeon.

_This is going to be a tough battle._

* * *

Mark's going to lose! Anyways, here's some things I wrote in the previous chapter, which I deleted:

Okay, thank you to the people who responded to my notice. Well, anyways, thanks for the advice/support. Just to tell you, this story is basically practice for me, so that my Writing skills don't disappear when I'm not in the ever-so painful school (even though I always get A's in academic subjects anyways...). I'm only 13 (surprised?), and I'm gonna start high school in just a week. The reason why I'm rushing is because I don't know how much computer time I'll have! School will interfere with my fan-fic (and vice-versa), and also family is coming over for the rest of the summer starting this Tuesday night. Basically, threats I make to stop updating are all empty and hollow, and I'll try to update whenever I have time. Also, if you're worried that I'm not planning ahead, I think to much (according to my parents). I'll over analyze, and always ponder on one single thing: currently this fan-fic. Basically, I already thought of the key events; anyways, I'll have tons of time to think when family's around.

Now here are some **long-term** questions; feel free to vote, even after this chapter:

1. Out of the following evolutions, what should Mira eventually become: Espeon, Umbreon, or Flareon. (I personally prefer Flareon for this fan-fic.)

2. Should Mark turn into a hybrid like Mira, from one of Team Rocket's experiments?

3. Which legendaries should appear? (Can only be from Kanto/Johto regions.)

4. Will the Waterflowers make an appearance some time in the story?

Bye now! Review (to show people actually read my fan-fic), and I'll update as soon as I can!

P.S. If anyone needs help with a Pokemon video game, I'm VERY experienced (except in EV-training), so feel free to ask questions. Also, tell me if you have **Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon**.


	5. Mark's Turn

I updated...the third time this day, I think.

* * *

When Brock returned, Mark explained that he only had one Pokemon, so it would have to be a one-on-one battle. 

"Sure," said Brock, "That's fine with me. Let's start!"

Brock sent out his Onix.

"Okay, umm..." Mark tossed his Pokeball, "Vulpix, go!"

"Vul?"

Onix roared, and Vulpix jumped in shock. "VULPIX!" it cried, running behind one of the rocks part of the gym's landscaping.

"Onix, use Slam!" The rocky snake leaned forward, ready to dive itself at the small fox.

"Vulpix, dig!" The cute Pokemon pawed its way into the ground, escaping just before impact.

It then shot out of the ground and hit the Onix square in the face.

"No, Onix! Use Rock Slide!" It then sent rocks flying at the Vulpix. It ran for its life, dodging the boulders, but unfortunately it was hit.

"Vulpix, no!"

When the dust cleared, the small fox was unconscious. Mark then returned it to its Pokeball.

Brock then walked up to the young challenger. "That was a great battle, considering you were at a type disadvantage."

"Thanks, I guess."

"That's why I would like to give you a Boulder Badge as well." He took out a small metal chip, and put it in the trainer's hand.

"Really? I lost!"

"No, you won a battle against yourself. That's how you improve."

"Thank you so much!"

The two travelers said their goodbyes, healed their Pokemon at the Pokemon Center, and then headed towards Mt.Moon.

"We won't be able to go through Mt.Moon in just one day," explained Mark, "but there's a Pokemon Center just at its entrance. We can stay there for the night, and enter the next day."

"Sure, I guess."

The entire way, they chatted about themselves, and where they came from. Mark was from Pallet Town, just like Mira's father, the renowned Pokemon Trainer Ash Ketchum. However, Prof.Oak ran out of starter Pokemon to distribute, so Mark received a Vulpix instead.

"So, how did you get a Leafeon? I thought that an Eevee had to evolve somewhere in the Shinnoh region to become that evolution."

"Yeah, but she belonged to my father, and he gave her to me as a gift," said Mira. _I guess that she belonged to father, in the same way I belong to him as well. After all, we are his daughters. I still don't like talking about my sister that way though..._

"Mira, do you know what I like about you?"

"What?"

"It's how you treat your Pokemon. Other trainers I met just treat them like animals or pets, but you treat them like normal people. Not many people do that, you know; it's like you treat them with the same respect, you would want to receive yourself."

"Yeah, I guess I do, don't I?" _Well, that would be because I __**am **__a Pokemon in a way_,_ and I can understand other Pokemon as well._

"Hey look!" said Mark, pointing at the Pokemon Center in the distance. "We're only a few minutes away from the Pokemon Center, and a good night's sleep!"

"Yeah, a good night's sleep."

* * *

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised to receive another review or PM saying that I should slow down. Well, anyways, Mark showed his first signs of LOVE! Also, I don't think that many people would respond to this poll, but which would you rather see in the next one or two chapters? 

1. Another character added to their group. (Another boy, who will fall in love with Mira and interfere with Mark's relationship with her.)

2. Mark learning Mira's secret. (Possibly leading to a more effective/interesting storyline.)

I can only use one idea in the next one or two chapters, so choose carefully! (Something **bad** will happen in Mt.Moon.)


	6. Team Rocket

I started this chapter, but don't worry, the poll is still going.

* * *

The next morning, the two trainers started heading inside Mt.Moon, unaware of what was happening deeper inside the cave.

"Wow! This cave's pretty dark!" said Mira, and her statements were echoed back at her. Suddenly, a Zubat flew by, and she screamed; again echoed inside the deep cave. She unintentionally hugged Mark.

"Uhh..." he said uncomfortably.

"Oops...I"m...s-s-sorry..."

"It's okay, I really don't mind."

"Really?"

"Really."

They continued through the cave; actually Mira's PokeNav had a map of Mt.Moon, so they used it to find the quickest route to the exit.

"We're nearly there!" said Mira.

"Shh..." said Mark, "Listen..."

They heard voices from deeper in the tunnel. "Get the fossils, you idiot. We need to hurry and get out of here." "Fine, fine. Don't rush me."

The two trainers ran up to see what was happening, and standing before them were a man and a woman. Each wearing black hats, pants, and shirts with a huge red "R" stretched across the front. "Hey, who are you?" asked the female.

Mira and Mark looked around, and saw that they were packing fossils into bags.

"What are you doing!?" yelled Mark, "That's against the law! You can't take fossils from Mt.Moon anymore!"

"We don't care about the law," said the man, "We're members of Team Rocket; just **try** to stop us."

"Fine," the two trainers said together, "Let's battle!"

"Vulpix!"

"Sunrise!"

Their two Pokemon were then sent out onto the cave floor. The female sent out a Venomoth, and the male sent out a Weezing.

"Venomoth, use Silver Wind on that Leafeon.

"Quick, Vulpix, use Ember on the Venomoth before it attacks."

The small fox tried to attack, but it was blasted by a Sludge Bomb attack from the Weezing. Mira's sister was then knocked out by the super effective bug-type move.

"No!" cried Mira. She returned Sunrise into her Pokeball.

"Good job, Weezing! Do it again!" The Vulpix was then blasted with another pile of sludge, knocking it out as well."

"It's up to you, Mira," said Mark as he returned his only Pokemon.

"Saroc, go!" As soon as the Pidgeot was released, it flew towards the Venomoth, slamming it into the wall.

_I really enjoy attacking as soon as I get out of the Pokeball. Let's do it more often, _said the bird Pokemon.

"Return," said the women, who then returned her Pokemon.

"Weezing," ordered the man, "Use Sludge Bomb to weigh down its wings!" The Pidgeot tried to dodge, but its right wing was hit, afffecting its coordination; thus, it had to land.

"Now use Sludge Bomb again!" The Pidgeot was blasted just as the Vulpix was, knocking it out as well. Mira then returned her Pokemon. "That was my last Pokemon."

"No," said Mark, "What about the emergency Pokemon?"

"Huh?"

"You know, the one you said you could only use in an emergency situation; I'm pretty sure this would count as an emergency!"

Mira's face paled again.

* * *

Remember the poll in the previous chapter? This is your last chance to decide!

1. New character.

2. Secret shared.

I only have one vote right now, so unless I get more, Mira will use her "emergency Pokemon".

(I hate writing battle scenes!)


	7. A Dangerous Decision

Sorry, this chapter's short...

* * *

Mira's thoughts suddenly sped up, and it seemed to her as if time froze. Could she trust him? They only met a few days ago, but he seems to like her...would he try to trap her in her Pokeball? Questions and possible outcomes flew around inside her head.

"Mark?" asked Mira.

"Yes, what is it? Send out the Pokemon."

"I...I...just promise you won't run away from me, or try to hurt me..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Quick, you idiot, tie them up! They haven't sent out another Pokemon yet!"

_Here goes nothing..._ Mira closed her eyes and concentrated. Her decision was crazy, but she couldn't risk being kidnaped. _Concentrate. I better know what I'm doing..._

When she opened her eyes again, she only saw darkness, and her body was covered by a pile of clothes. Her ears felt like they were being crushed by he weight.

"Mira?" cried Mark.

"What?" said the female Team Rocket member, "She just disappeared. Well, at least we still have the boy."

"Eevee!" Mira cried as she sprang out of the pile of clothes that was hiding her, and biting down on the women's arm.

"Oww! Get it off! Get it off!" She was swinging around her arm like crazy, making Mira dizzy. Finally, the man pulled her off, throwing her onto the ground. Blood was flowing out of the Eevee's mouth, but it was not her own.

"Ow! It stings!" She was holding onto her bleeding arm. "Get rid of that stupid Pokemon."

The Eevee was dizzy, and it was sore from the impact. However, before the Weezing could attack, Mira slammed into it. And again. And again. Thrump Card. Soon the Weezing was on the ground.

"No!" cried the male Team Rocket member as he recalled his Pokemon.

"Let's go!" yelled the women. They then ran out of the cave.

Mira's legs started wobbling, and then she collapsed onto the hard ground. Her eyelids felt really heavy. _No! I need to change back first!_

"Mira!" she heard Mark scream.

"Vee..." she groaned, before her eyes shut. Her body then became very still.

* * *

Don't worry, I'll try to make the next chapter longer. (I wrote this in just a few minutes, because I don't have much time left...) Anyways, did I mention that my relatives have been delayed, and aren't coming until **Thursday night**? More updates! Also, Antithesis, if you are reading this, review or send me a PM. I haven't heard from you in a while!

By the way, should I go day by day throughout their journey (EVERY single gym, EVERY single cave), or should I skip a few gyms eventually (not yet, since I have some ideas for Cerulean City)? I'll leave it up to the reviewers; the only thing is I don't want to run out of ideas, since the ones I already have are for later in this story.


	8. Mark and his Cute Eevee

Yay! Another chapter, and a longer one too!

* * *

It was late at night, and Mark was sitting down in the Pokemon Center. _I really should go to bed soon. I had a long day. No, I need to stay awake; I can't leave her there! She's not really a Pokemon, is she?_

The young trainer than buried his face into this hands. _What am I saying? Why am I even doing this? Is it...no, really, do I...l-l-love her?_

"Mark?" Nurse Joy was standing in front of him. "You still awake?"

"Yeah."

"Well, your Pokemon are going to be fine; they just need some rest. Maybe try taking them out in the morning."

"Okay, thank you for healing them so late at night."

"No problem. It's my job."

The next morning was clear again, and Mark woke up early; he had some work to do. He sighed, and then gripped one of the Pokeballs he received the night before. He released it, sending out a small Eevee.

"Eevee?" it asked, fright clearly expressed in its terrified eyes. _Oh great, _thought Mark, _she's really scared now. Probably from that stupid Pokeball; even I wouldn't want my body to disappear like that, and then just reappear again against your will._

"You okay?"

The Eevee nodded, still frightened. Its stomach then growled. "Vee..." it groaned.

"Hungry?" It nodded again. "Sorry, Mira, but the restaurants are closed, so you're eating Pokechow this morning. I hope you don't mind too much. That **is **you, right?"

"Vee." It nodded again. Mark then took out a bag from his bag, and poured it into a bowl, which he laid on the ground in front of her. The small Pokemon then sniffed the food, and started eating slowly. Mark waited patiently, and when his friend finished, he scratched her behind the ears.

"Eevee," it said, clearly pleased by the treatment it was receiving.

"Are you gonna turn back to normal now?" The Pokemon shook its head, and then ran over to the other Pokeballs; it sniffed a few, and then opened one, releasing her Leafeon.

"Leaf?" It looked around, and saw what its sister had done. "Leafeon, Leaf. Eon!" it scolded.

"Vee! Eevee, vee, vee, Eevee!" It was obviously talking back.

"Leafeon..." it then touched its Pokeball, and went back inside. Mira then opened another Pokeball, releasing Mark's Vulpix.

(Translations start here.)

"Huh?" said the Vulpix.

"Hi."

"Who are you, and how come you smell like my trainer's girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend!?"

"You know, that Mira girl. All Marks talks about is Mira this, Mira that. I think he **really** likes her or something."

Finally, Mark piped up. "Would you please return to normal now?"

(Translations end)

"Vee..." The Eevee then closed its eyes, and concentrated. Soon she was human again.

Mark was blushing. "You're...n-naked." Mira screamed, and quickly grabbed some clothes and put them on. "Well," she responded, blushing as well, "You **did** tell me to return to normal."

"Fine, I know better now. Anyways, don't you have some explaining to do?"

"Yeah...I guess." Mira then explained about her ability, and what happened to her parents 10 years ago. When she was finished, they were both silent; Mark was soaking in all of that rather quickly. "Okay," he said, "so that means Sunrise is your **sister**?"

"Yeah, she's older." Mark sighed. "Well, I guess that's why you treat Pokemon the way you do: because you know what it feels like to be one. We should start heading over to the Cerulean City gym now."

"We're in Cerulean!?"

"Yeah..."

"My aunts are the gym leaders!"

Mira then remembered what she promised her mother. _I wonder why she asked me not to spend much time here...maybe I should ask my aunts..._

* * *

I can't wait to write the next chapter! It's going to be **really** interesting, with Mira's aunts to torture her (and Mark too)!

Also, again, I won't be able to update for a while after Thursday night. (Or check my e-mail either.)


	9. Winning, but with a Price!

Sorry I took longer than usual to update; I was busy...

* * *

When the two trainers arrived at the Cerulean City Gym, they went inside, and appeared to be empty, until...

"Coming!" yelled a women from another room. Mira knew who's voice it belonged to...

Lily walked into the main room. "Mira?" Her niece nodded, and shortly after was being crushed.

"Aww, you're so cute! You've grown so much since I last visited! The rest of my sisters are on vacation again, so I'm watching the gym. That's okay though. I'm so happy to see you!"

"C-Can't...breathe..." Lily then released her hold on Mira. "Sorry, I keep doing that don't I?" Her niece nodded, and was breathing heavily.

"Oh," said Lily, looking at Mark, "Who's this? I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

The two kids began blushing like mad. _Am I? _They both thought. They stared at each other for a while.

Mira's aunt started laughing. "I knew it! You two **have** to like each other a **lot** to do that! If you two only _liked_ each other you would have both objected, but that look in your eyes...that was **love**!"

_Should I...Do I love him?...I do, don't I..._ though Mira. Suddenly Mark interrupted her highly uncomfortable train of thought. "Am I...Do I...Do** you**..." Mira nodded lightly, and then turned to her aunt. "Aunt Lily, I have an important question."

"Is it about **love**?"

"No! It's um...you see, when I left to start my Pokemon journey, my mom told me not to spend much time in Cerulean. Why is that? Isn't it her hometown?" Lily frowned slightly. "Let's see...should I...okay, I know! I'll tell you if you do two things for me."

"What are they?"

"The first is win the gym battle, and the second is a secret! I won't tell you unless you win!"

"Okay, fine, I'll play along...Let's battle!"

Of course, Mira used Sunrise again, who wiped the floor with her aunt's Pokemon.

Lily sighed. "That was quick. I thought I was better than that."

"Well," replied Mira, "It's Sunrise's fault."

"Sunrise?" said Lily obviously surprised, "Is that you?"

The Leafeon nodded. Soon, it too was being crushed. "Oh, you're so cute! You were only an Eevee when I last saw you."

"Leaf...Leafeon...Leafeon..." (Translation: You, how could you?...I'm being crushed now as well...you better do something...)

"Auntie, you're crushing her." She released the poor Pokemon, which was then breathing heavily as well. _You better make that up to me,_ it said.

"Okay, now Mark would you like to battle, or should I make Mira do her finally challenge?"

"Let Mira go first," said Mark. "After all, I only have a Vulpix..."

"No, Mark, you can use my sister if you want. She's not the least bit tired."

"NO!" screamed Lily. The two kids then started staring at her; she blushed. "Um...sorry about that...Mark...since you're such a good boyfriend for my niece...(Mira blushed) You can have the badge for free." She then handed both of them Cascade badges.

"Thanks!" said Mark. Mira then whispered in his ear. "It's so that she doesn't have to be beaten again."

"Alright," said Lily, "Here's the final challenge. Mira, change into an Eevee."

"That's it?" She then went into a changing room, and came out as a fox-like Pokemon.

"Eevee!" it cried.

"Oh, you're even cuter as an Eevee!" Lily was crushing her again.

"Vee..." it groaned.

"You know what you need?" asked Lily, "A bath!"

"Eevee! Eevee! Eevee!" it screamed over and over.

"Oh, don't worry; it'll be fun!"

_For you, that is. For me, it's torture._

Lily and Mark walked over to bathroom, and Lily turned the bathtub tap on and dumped the poor Eevee inside. Its eyes were bulging with fright, which was ignored by her aunt.

After 30 minutes of torture, Mira was squeaky clean. "Eevee..." it moaned. "Okay," said her aunt, "We're done. Turn back to normal now."

The Eevee trudged into the changing room, and emerged a few minutes later as a human again. "That," she said, "was pure torture!"

"What do you mean? You're clean now."

"Okay, fine. Baths are scary, though, when you're only a few centimetres high and covered with fur that becomes heavy when wet. Now, you better have a good explanation for my question."

"Alright, then, you and Mark should sit down. Follow me." They went into a dining room, and Lily got out some juice for them. Mark took a sip, but Mira drank her cup all at once.

"Okay, here's how the story goes..."

* * *

Well, that chapter was longer than usual, and I enjoyed it; I hoped you did too! In the next chapter, someone MIGHT appear...it's up to the readers! Anyways, it's somebody we all know! He appeared in the previous two stories, and he's a big jerk. Vote, or I'll have to decide myself, which might take longer...it's better to know what the readers want, and then serve it to them. 


	10. The Mission

I can't believe I updated at night! Anyways, don't expect one right away in the morning.

* * *

"You know what happened during your parents honeymoon, right?" asked Lily. Mira nodded.

"Well, before you were born, Dewdrop was actually taken away by Ash's father. That's a different story though. Sorry, but I need to use first names while explaining this, or you'll get confused. Anyways, so when your parents came to visit Misty's parents about Dewdrop being taken away, her father gave Ash a stupid lecture when he said that your siblings were his **children**. Misty's father started giving an explanation on how it could be a mental disorder, but your father turned into a Jolteon for him. After that, Misty's parents wanted her away from him. Around one or two months later, they started spreading rumours about your father's ability to the media, so your mother came over for a visit with her parents. She turned into a Vaporeon and blasted her father. They never saw each other again. That's why she didn't want you to stay here long; because of her parents. I hope you understand; I sort of rushed there."

Mira nodded. "It's okay...just a bit hard to believe but I understand now. Thank you."

"No problem. Well, you better get going, since you **did** promise your mom not to stay too long here. Why don't you two pick up bikes while you're here? I have free vouchers for you." She reached into her pocket, and handed Mira and Mark each a bike voucher.

"Thank you," they both said.

"Again no problem."

When they left, the made a quick stop for some bikes, and then rode out of the city. Mira, however, was still distracted. Thoughts about her parents and grandparents dominated her mind. Her daze ended when Mark spoke up.

"Okay, we have two choices. We can continue into Saffron City, or we could take the underpass and visit Vermillion first. Up to you."

"Oh, I guess we should visit Saffron first, but I want to visit Celadon City as well. There's something I need to do there."

When they reached Saffron, they found out that the gym was closed.

"What!?" they both yelled. "How could it be closed?" The sign read:

Due to new regulations passed by Silph Co., the Saffron City Gym is considered unsafe and must be closed until further notice.

They both sighed, when suddenly somebody walked out from behind them. It was a women with a strange-looking outfit, and long dark hair.

"Yes, stupid that they closed my gym. There's nothing that I can do about it...except..." Her eyes seemed to be distant, even though she was looking at them. "Hmm...how interesting...could you possibly?...alright, I have an offer for you, with some valuable information."

"What is it?" asked Mira.

"Nobody knows this except for me, but Silph Co. has fallen at the feet of Team Rocket. If you can get rid of them, the laws will be fixed, and the gym will reopened. I entered both of your minds, and I saw your potential."

"Wait," said Mira, "You read our minds?" She nodded. "Who are you anyways?" "My name is Sabrina. I'm the gym leader." Mira gasped. "Wait, that means...you..."

"Yes, and don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Also, I have something for Mark." She handed him a Pokeball. "It tried to attack the gym, but I caught it. A single Vulpix won't be enough to take down Team Rocket." He released a strong-looking Mighteyana, which started growling.

"Hi, what's your name?" asked Mira.

"_Zane, and like you would ever care._"

"Mark, it's name is Zane." The dark-type Pokemon's eyes bulged in shock.

"Hi there Zane. I'm your new trainer."

"_Well, at least it isn't that girl over there. She understands me! It's impossible, and creepy..._"

"What did he say?" Mark asked Mira.

"You don't need to know."

Sabrina finally spoke up. "You two should go to the Pokemon Center and get some sleep. Team Rocket won't go down without a fight, and it will be a big one."

* * *

No Boaz BEEP (censored, because I won't swear in this fan-fic) in this story. Anyways, victory always has its price, and it will be Mark who has to pay it. (That was a hint to the twist of fate in the next chapter.) 


	11. Captured

I updated earlier than expected (takes about 30 minutes to write these chapters)...

* * *

Early next morning, just at dawn, the two trainers started heading to the tall Silph Co. building.

"Hey," said Mark, "No one's guarding the front door!"

"Yeah, because wouldn't everyone be spooked if Team Rocket members were standing at the entrance to Kanto's largest company?"

"Fine, I guess your right..."

They entered, and found that there was no secretary at the front desk.

"Weird..." commented Mark.

"Let's use the elevator," said Mira.

They went inside and pressed the top floor. When the elevator stopped, they marched out, and found out that there was no entrance to the chairperson's office!

"What!?" said Mira.

"Not so loud. We don't want to get caught."

Suddenly, as if on cue, a Team Rocket Grunt walks around the corner and says, "Hey, what are kids doing here?"

"Umm..." said Mira, "We wanted to visit the chairperson."

"Well, he's busy right now, and to reach his office, you'd need to use the teleport pad on floor 3. However, you won't be able to lock the door to that teleport pad room without this key." He then started waving a shiny card key in front of them. Mark grabbed it, and the two trainers ran to the elevator.

"Quick, press 3!"

Mira pressed the 3 button, and then rapidly pressed the close door button. _Faster, faster, faster, FASTER!_ The door finally started closing, and the grunt was nearly at them. He reached his arm in, but the door closed, trapping it. The two trainers moved aside to avoid its reach. The elevator started moving. The arm went higher, and higher, and

Bzzt! THE FOLLOWING SCENE HAS BEEN ERASED FOR THE READER'S SAFETY, AS IT'S BLOODY, DISTURBING, AND DISGUSTING. Bzzt!

The elevator finally stopped moving, and the doors opened. They walked out, carefully avoiding the detached arm and puddle of blood. A locked door was just a few metres away, so they marched up to it, and used the key card. They went inside, and used the teleport pad, which led to another teleport pad, and they reappeared in a hallway. Screaming could be heard in the distance. "Yeah," said Mark, "This is the top floor."

Mira nodded, still pale from the disturbing event. They then opened the final door, and standing in front of them was a tall man, wearing a black business suit. However, a red "R" was sewed on it.

"Hello there. I'm surprised you made it this far. I, Giovanni, leader of Team Rocket, challenge you to a Pokemon battle."

"Let's go!" the trainers yelled, releasing all of their Pokemon.

Giovanni, then released his.

After 30 minutes, of confusing, 4-on-4 battling, all of their Pokemon were returned to their Pokeballs.

"Argh," said Giovanni, "We **will** meet again. At Celadon City to be precise." Suddenly, a Team Rocket member grabbed Mark from behind, and injected him with a syrum. (Sound familiar?) "I know who you are, Mira, hybrid daughter of Ash and Misty Ketchum." Soon after, Team Rocket evacuated the building with Mark, and Mira couldn't do anything about it.

She found Sabrina and had a word with her. "Well done, the gym should reopen tomorrow, but about Mark...he would be at the Celadon City Game Corner. There's a secret hideout there."

Mira nodded, and then started riding to Celadon City.

"Mark..." she mumbled, "I...l...love you...I'll get you back, at all costs."

* * *

Mark's gone, but don't worry, he'll be back. Possibly with another friend as well. However, he'll be different. Very different. (Don't worry, the syrum isn't experimental anymore, so what happened to Delilah won't repeat itself.) 


	12. Transformed and Evolved

Sorry, I was rushing. I hope I didn't make many mistakes...

* * *

When Mira entered Celadon City at mid-day, she stopped and got off her bike. She needed to think about something. Her shirt was soaked, and her face was slightly wet. _I'm here, and I need to save Mark, but...I need to do something. Should I really do this?...It will set me for the rest of my life..._ She sighed, and got on her bike, she rode past the Game Corner; that was no longer her current destination. She walked into the Department Store, and rode the elevator up to the 2nd floor, bought some TMs, and went to the 5th floor.

"Hi!" said the shop clerk, "What can I do ya for?"

_Last chance to change my mind..._ "One Fire Stone please." He went picked up the red and yellow stone, and put it on the counter. "Anything else?"

"No," she payed the money, and picked up the Fire Stone. By the time she reached the elevator, her stone was gone.

She then rode over to the Pokemon Center. "Hi, can I have a room?"

"No problem."

A few minutes later, Mira was in a bedroom...naked. She put the TMs on the ground, and took out her two Pokemon. Saroc nearly fainted, and Sunrise was staring at her. "_Why do you keep doing this to me?_" However, while she was complaining, Mira already turned into a Pokemon, but not an Eevee. She had red fur, and bushy yellow fur on her tail, mane, and flowing out of her haid.

(Translations begin.)

"Wait," said her sister, "You evolved?"

"Yeah, how do you like me now?"

"Not any better, than before."

Mira sighed, "Okay, here I go." She put a paw on the first TM, and said "TM Flamethrower activate." Soon it was absorbed into her body. She did the same for the Fire Blast and Overheat TMs. She then turned to her team. "Alright, Mark is captured by Team Rocket, and he's in the Celadon City Game Corner. We need to save him!" Sunrise nodded, and Saroc finally said something, "Fine, and how come you're a Pokemon? Does this mean I have a Flareon for a trainer?"

"Yes, and no. Anyways, that's how I understand you. Now let's go!" They left the Pokemon Center, with Saroc's help with opening doors. When they reached the Game Corner, everyone was shocked to see Pokemon out on their own. "_Remember,_" said Mira, "_I don't have our Pokeballs with us, so do your best not to faint in there._" A Team Rocket grunt pressed something behind a poster on the back wall, and somehow disappeared. With Saroc's help again, they did the same, and found themselves teleported to a large room. Team Rocket grunts were everywhere, and they all freaked out when they saw the Pokemon. "_RUN!_" ordered Mira. Before anyone could release their Pokemon to attack them, they were already gone a distance down one of the hallways. Shortly afterwards, they found themselves in a room full of cages. However, only two held Pokemon; one held a Dragonite, and another held an Arcanine. The canine was asleep, but when the Dragonite saw them, he started pleading for help. "Please, release us! We're not really Pokemon! Team Rocket did this to us! We're human!" Mira then used Fire Blast, and melted the bars on the steel cages. The Dragonite then helped Mira drag out the Arcanine. For some reason, it smelled familiar to Mira. "Mark? MARK! Wake up, oh please wake up." The Flareon was nuzzling him like crazy, until he finally opened his eyes. "Where am I?" it groaned, "Wait, who are you?"

"Mark?" The Arcanine's eyes grew. "Mira? You evolved! Wait...how can I understand you?"

"Umm...how should I put this...you're no longer human...you're an Arcanine."

"W-What!?" He looked down at his hands, but only saw furry paws. He then tried to stand up on two legs, but failed and fell down on the metal floor. "NO! This can't be happening!"

"I'm sorry, Mark...I couldn't do anything..." Tears were flowing from her eyes.

The Arcanine started crying as well. "It's okay...if you can handle being a Pokemon, so can I."

The Flareon nodded. "Mark, I wanted to say this for a long time, but...I...l-" She was interrupted by the Dragonite. "Hey, we need to get out of here! Our Pokemon and clothes should be in the next room. Let's go!" It then started flapping its wings, and flew right threw the locked doors. The rest of them followed, and soon found he had stopped, and someone was standing before him. Someone they saw not too long ago. Mira started growling.

"Ah," said Giovanni, "I thought that you wouldn't have made it this far, but I planned ahead nevertheless."

He released all of his Pokemon once again. (I won't write the battle scene, because this chapter's already long enough, and I'm tired of writing.)

After 30 minutes of fighting, Giovanni's Pokemon were defeated. He was obviously shocked. "N-no! This can't be happening!" He ran towards a teleport pad, and barely missed Mira's Overheat. "Yeah, you better run!" she growled, "or I'll burn you to a crisp!"

"Let's go," said the Dragonite. He was holding 4 Pokeballs and two sets of clothes. They then returned to the Pokemon Center, and were all in Mira's room. "Try turning back to normal," she said. "You need to concentrate, and try to remember what you were like before." Soon, the two Pokemon were human again; one was a young boy, but the other was at least 15. He had black hair, and a strong and determined look in his eyes. Mira then returned to normal as well, and they all got changed. Mira was the first to talk, and she was looking at the teenager. "Hey, who are you anyways?"

* * *

Anyways, that was longer than normal. I'll have info on the new guy in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed what I wrote! Team Rocket probably won't appear again...anyways, this story's taking long, and I sort of what it to go longer than the Kanto region...so here's some issues I need opinions on:

1. Sure, I'll make them do Celadon's gym, but afterwards, should I skip to the 8th gym?

2. Should I make this story go farter than the Kanto region, or just end the story after the championships? What region would be visited next if they continued? (Not Johto, because I don't remember it that well, since I was only a little kid when I played Gold/Silver/Crystal.)

I hope people respond, because it would make my job much easier. Anyways, I might not be able to update for a few days after the next chapter...don't think I gave up...


	13. Introductions

I updated...sigh and it's getting late...

* * *

"Oh," said the trainers' newest acquaintance, "I never got around to that did I. My name is Ryan Yuan Ping."

"Umm..." said Mira, "Can I just call you Ryan."

"Sure. Anyways, I'm a martial artist from the Shinnoh region."

"Wow!" said Mark, "That's pretty far, isn't it? What were you doing here in Kanto?"

"Well, I beat Shinnoh's gyms, and thought that I should try a hand at the Indigo League. Unfortunately, as you might have noticed, I got a little more than I bargained for."

"Yeah," agreed Mark, "I did too, but Mira's probably pretty used to being a Pokemon now, aren't you?"

Mira nodded. "Hey," said Ryan, "Why don't we release our Pokemon, and tell a bit about ourselves. I'm sure that **my** Pokemon would like to know about all of us."

"Sure," said Mira, "but didn't you notice that this room only has one bed? We better get a bigger room first."

(15 tedious minutes later...)

"Alright," said Ryan, holding his two Pokeballs, "Come on out!" He released a Luxray and an Infernape.

"Wow!" said Mira, "Those are from the Shinnoh region!"

"Yeah, I have more, but I left them at home. Anyways, I'll probably become more attached to them now, due to my condition."

"_What condition?_" asked the Infernape. "Oh, I can turn into a Dragonite now, and understand Pokemon speech too." The Infernape's right eye started twitching. "_Hmm..._" said the Luxray, "_I guess that's why you smell different, but how come that other guy smells like an Arcanine, and that girl smells like an attractive Flareon_?"

Mira blushed. "What do you mean by that?" "_AHHH! You understand me as well. There goes the rest of my privacy..._"

"Well," said Mark, "I better introduce you to Vulpix and Zane." He released his two Pokemon.

"_Oh great_," said the Mighteyana, "_There's that creepy girl again, and there's another guy as well..._"

"Hey," scolded Mark, "Don't call her creepy!" The wolf's eyes started twitching. "_Now, you understand me as well. Just another person to add to my creepy person list..._"

"Does that mean I'm creepy as well?" asked Ryan.

"_Oh, now everyone here's creepy...great..._"

"_Wait_," said the Vulpix, "_How come you understand us now_?"

Mark sighed. "Something happened to Ryan and I, so we're both hybrids now."

"_That's okay, but does that mean you're gonna talk about your girlfriend even more? It gets pretty annoying..._"

Everyone was silent for a while. "Umm..." said Mira, "Sunrise, Saroc, you two come out as well." She released a Leafeon and a Pidgeot.

"_Mira_," asked Sunrise, "_I'm your sister. __**Older **__sister to be exact. However, you keep torturing me. Why is that?_"

"What do you mean?"

"You wake me up when I'm resting from battling, making me look at you naked, all of those stupid type of things..."

Before Mira could respond, Ryan asked, "Wait, she's your SISTER!?"

"Umm...yeah, long story. Now that everyone's out, I might as well share it."

(One hour of storytelling later...)

Sunrise was no longer paying attention (since she already knew everything that her sister said), Zane kept muttering to himself about how disturbing his life was, but everyone else was still paying attention.

"By the way," said Mira when she finished, "Mark, you never told anything about yourself!"

"Okay," said Mark, "but I'm not really that interesting. I grew up in Pallet Town, and my parents are just normal people. Nothing special really..."

"Oh," commented Mira.

"Well, um...remember what you were saying earlier today when we were still in the Team Rocket hideout? You never finished your sentence..."

Mira was blushing. "Oh...right, how can I put this...let's just say that you're really special to me...and...I...I wouldn't really know what to do with myself if I lost you...you know what I'm trying to say?"

"That you...love me?" Mark was blushing now as well.

Mira nodded. Mark was now holding her hands, "Don't worry, I feel the same way as well. Nobody has ever treated me the way you do before..."

Everyone was silent again "Umm..." said Ryan, "I hate to break up your romantic moment, but it's already night. I haven't eaten in a few days now, and it's dinner time, so how about we go eat? Anyways, I still need to challenge the Celadon City Gym."

"Sure," said Mira, "I'm hungry as well, and Mark and I still need to get the gym badge as well."

When everyone was in bed, Mira and Mark were both thinking to themselves.

_I really loved him..._

_She's so kind to me..._

_And to think..._

_It's so hard to believe..._

_That he/she actually loved me back._

* * *

I hoped you like my chapter, and a big thank you to everyone who supported me through my fan-fics. As you may remember, family is coming over on Thursday night, removing my computer time, and (I don't know if I mentioned this yet) I'm off to a boarding school. Thus, I won't be able to update in a while (because I'll need to get settled into the school at the beginning). Don't think I gave up though, because I'll update as soon as I can, since I of course have a laptop with internet access. Don't worry, there should be one more chapter left before I "disappear", but just in case I can't, in advance, thank you everyone!_  
_


	14. Sabrina's Challenges

Long chapter!

* * *

The next morning, everyone headed over to the Celadon City Gym.

"Hey Ryan," asked Mira, "How many badges do you have right now?"

"Let's see...I only have Pewter City's and Cerulean City's. After that, my "series of unfortunate events" began."

"Great, same here! Do you want to travel together? It's always more fun in a group of 3."

"Okay, I guess...anyways, later I should go find my bike...it should be somewhere by the Saffron City Gym."

They finally went inside, and prepared for battle. Of course, Erica was creamed by Infernape, Vulpix, and Saroc, so I don't really want to describe the grass-type Pokemon getting set on fire and running around in circles, or them getting sliced up into pieces. After their wins, they started heading over to Saffron City, but it took longer than normal, as Ryan didn't have a bike with him. They walked over towards the Gym which reopened again.

"Hey! My bike!" He ran over and picked up his bike which had toppled over. It was clearly a Shinnoh model, with two speeds for the regions more diverse geography. "Okay," said Mark, "I think that this would be an easy win with Zane."

When they entered, they saw Sabrina. "Hello. I was expecting you to come. Mark, you shall battle first, then Ryan, and lastly Mira. You **may** choose to transform, if you wish. All battles shall be one-on-one. Let's begin."

_Wow! She really __**does**__ have anything planned out, and she's hot too, _thought Ryan. Sabrina turned to him, "I'm a Psychic, which is how I expected everyone and planned ahead, and yes I can read your mind."

"Oh..."

Mark stepped up and released Zane, and Sabrina released Alakazam. "_Oh great_," muttered Zane, "_Not __**him**__ again..._"

"What's wrong now, sir complain-a-lot?"

"_**That**_," he responded sternly, "_is what was used to catch me when I attacked the gym, you idiot. Sure it can't use Psychic-type moves, but it can still wipe the floor with me using moves like..._" He was cut off because the Alakazam released a huge red ball, which Zane narrowly dodged. _"THAT! That was a Focus Blast. It's a fighting-type move, dumb-dumb._"

He then pounced on the Pokemon using Crunch. It knocked him off and tried using Silver Wind, but he disappeared into the shadows using Faint Attack, reappearing behind and attacking. After a few more minutes Mark won...well kind off.

"_Yeah_," muttered Zane, "_Just as I expected. I have a creepy trainer who just makes me do all of the work. Heck, you didn't give me a single order...great..._"

"Ryan, you're up," said Sabrina.

"Okay, for this round I'll use myself, may I take off my clothes in private."

"Do it here, no one's looking. Everyone then looked away."

"This makes me feel soooo much better," he said sarcastically, as he took off his clothes. He then changed into a Dragonite. This time, Sabrina used a Mr.Mime. It was torn to shreds by Dragon Claw.

"Well done, but Mira you're up," Sabrina replied afterwards.

"I...I would like to use myself as well, as I need the training,"

"Very well, you may get changed." Mira however, already transformed, and was wrestling on the ground with her clothes. After a few more seconds, she was free from her strange restrainer, and was eager to see who she would be battling.

"I planned ahead for this," she explained, "I **shall** lose, but you need to learn how to fight all types of foes. That's why I had my friend, Lucian, send me a Pokemon from his own region." She released a metal Pokemon, resembling an iron bell, and was somehow floating.

"Bron." it said. Sabrina held up her arms, "Begin!"

Mira started off with a Flamethrower, and although it was super effective, it did little damage against the Bronzong. It then used Calm Mind. Mira tried again, and it did even less damage. Calm Mind. She switched to Fire Blast, which did slightly more damage. Calm Mind. Fire Blast was weakened again. Calm Mind. Mira the erupted with flame, and used a powerful Overheat, which did a **lot** more damage. Calm Mind. _Oh great, I just used my best move, and now my Sp.Atk is so low that I'm doomed. Wait a sec, Calm Mind...oh my god, why didn't I see this before!?__Calm Mind only raises Sp.Atk and Sp.Def, and every single move I used was a Sp.Atk move! It must be because I'm a Flareon right now, and Pokemon stupidity is rubbing off on me because I'm so tired of battling...Let's end this!_

Mira then charged towards the Bronzong, lunged forward into the air, and bit down **hard**. Fire Fang. It was spinning like crazy, but she wouldn't let go. Finally, it fell on the ground and fainted, and Mira let go. "Excellent," said Sabrina, as she returned Bronzong to its Pokeball. However, the Flareon was so dizzy that she could barely stand up. It was exhausted.

_Oh great, not again..._ She collapsed on the ground and fainted.

"Uh-oh," said Mark as he grabbed Mira's Pokeball from her belt, and ran over to her tired body. "Mira?" She was unconscious. "Okay," he said as he returned her to the Pokeball, "I'll go take her to the Pokemon Center." He then ran off.

* * *

Again, this will be my last chaper for a while...I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and I'll update ASAP. Anyways, should I...

1. Focus more on Gym battles (which I currently don't get really into unless it's special like Saffron's), or should I focus more on their journey and getting new Pokemon?

2. Should I make Team Rocket attack again?

Thank you for your support; I hope everyone liked this fan-fic so far, and that you'll come back and read it when I write the next chapter in 5-7 days. (Refer to last chapter for explanation why I need to do this.)


	15. A Small Warning with BIG Meaning

I had some time, so I wrote a short little chapter as a treat to my beloved readers...

* * *

"I'm back!" Mark yelled as he ran through the Gym entrance, and was panting. "I...can't...believe...I...could...run...that...fast...Alright I'm fine now!"

He then released the Pokeball he was holding in his hand, sending out a Flareon. Fright was clearly showing in its black eyes.

"_You know, it's really scary when you wake up, and realized that you don't have any body._"

"Really? That's what it feels like?" Mark was scratching his girlfriend (I guess you could call her that) behind the ears.

Mira was now smiling, well, one that you can have when there's a muzzle sticking out of your face. "_Oh yeah, you never enjoyed the wonderful experience of being trapped in a Pokeball!_"

"N-No Mira..." said Ryan, "I'm too young to die."

"_Don't worry_," said Mira, who was still smiling, "_I won't keep you in there for __**that**__ long...Okay, you have a choice; you two can either turn into Pokemon so I can catch you, or I'll transform into a human again...naked. Which would you prefer_?"

Mark was blushing. "Fine, I'll take off my clothes now."

"Naked? Really?" asked Ryan. Mira started growling, and Mark gave him a look that said "Shut up, unless you want to be served at a BBQ party."

"Umm...fine, I guess I might as well get this over with." Mira however, was already putting on her clothes while they were transforming, since they were so slow. "Okay," she said as she took out two Pokeballs, "Here I come."

"_W-what?_" they both said, but they were to late to do anything about it. Their bodies turned into red beams of light, and soon disappeared inside the red and white balls.

(15 minutes later)

Mira releases the two boys. "Have fun?"

"_N-no!_" they both said. "Do you now know what **I** had to go through, being able to turn into a Pokemon ever since I was born?"

They both nodded. "Alright, well put on your clothes." She threw two piles of clothes at them. The Arcanine started sniffing it. "_These smell bad..._" Mira smiled, "That's your own sweat." When they finished, Ryan asked, "Hey, where's Sabrina?"

"Meditating. We should get going. I want to make it to Vermillion by nightfall."

"Good evening," said Nurse Joy, wearing the traditional pink and white outfit. The Pokemon hybrids were now in the Vermillion City Pokemon Center. "How may I help you tonight?"

"We would like a room for 3," replied Mira.

"Right this way," she escorted them to their room, and handed them some keys.

When they were about to go to bed, Mira looked at Mark, and said, "I need to tell you something..."

"What is it?"

"Well...you already know that I love you...but there's something else you need to be aware of..."

"Yes?"

Mira sounded uneasy. "Since you're now a hybrid, you need to know how to control your instincts, and I have had tons of experience with this...but there's still a time when you occasionally can't think straight..." she sighed, and said softly, nearly whispering, "Mating season..."

* * *

This will be the last chapter for a while, so hang tight. Anyways, our 3 hybrid shall be travelling around the region (we're skipping Lavendar (sp?) Town) battling gyms, and collecting new Pokemon. I hope that you wait this out with me (it's painful for me as well, since I want to continue the story), but I'll update this as soon as the opportunity appears. 


	16. Shocking Battles

Sorry for the wait, and here's the next chapter...

* * *

Early the next morning, the 3 trainers made their way over to the Vermillion City Gym. 

"It's an electric gym?" asked Ryan.

"Yeah," said Mira, "but the gym leader apparently used to be an army general."

"Well, I don't care, because my Infernape will easily take it down."

"Zane probably won't have much of a problem either," said Mark, "but who will you use, Mira?"

"I'm pretty sure Sunrise will do fine; she has good defense against grass-types, so I can just have her use Shadow Ball."

When they entered the gym doors, they saw a man with blonde spiky hair, wearing an army uniform.

"Whoa!" said Zane, "I guess you are right, Mira!"

"Lt. Surge…" started Mark, who was rudely interrupted.

"You shall address to me as sir until you have acquired the Thunder Badge," ordered the gym leader.

"We'd like to challenge you to a gym battle, sir," Mark replied.

"Alright then, let's begin."

Lt. Surge sent out a Voltorb, and Mark sent out Zane.

"Wow," the Mighteyana muttered, "Now you're making me battle a ball…" The dark-type Pokemon pounced on the electric type, and sunk its teeth in it. Unfortunately, Zane got electrocuted. He then released his hold, and backed away.

"Fine, have some of this!" He then disappeared.

"Hold back," ordered the gym leader, "The foe can pop out at any second." As if on cue, the Mighteyana flew out of nearby shadows, and slammed right into the Voltorb; it was unconscious.

Lt. Surge, recalled his Pokemon. "Excellent. Now, who's next?"

"I'll battle," said Mira, already taking out her sister's Pokeball.

"Alright then, let's go Raichu!"

"Sunrise, win this!"

The two Pokemon appeared on the battle field. "Mira, should I just use Shadow Ball?" Her sister nodded. The Leafeon then released a storm of dark balls of energy. The electric mouse dodged the first one, but was caught off guard and hit by the second, letting it get hit by the rest as well.

"Well," said Lt. Surge, "this is the first time that I lost two battles in a row. However, I always have a backup plan. Now, you're next." He was pointing at Ryan.

"Alright, let's start!" The Dragonite hybrid sent out his Infernape.

"Come on out!" The gym leader sent out an Electrabuzz. "This was my partner when I still commanded an army. Now, he's only used in emergency battles. Use Thunder Punch."

The Pokemon started charging electricity into its fist, but the fire-type attacked first with Mach Punch.

"Now," ordered Ryan, "use Flame Wheel!"

The Pokemon burst into flames and started rolling towards its opponent, but the Electrabuzz somehow held the Infernape in place just before impact!

"What!?" yelled Ryan.

The friction was digging into the gym floor, creating a small hole. Slowly the Pokemon slowed down, and eventually stopped spinning, only to be punched with electricity.

"You shouldn't underestimate a veteran."

Drops of sweat were rolling down Ryan's face. "Use Close Combat!"

"You counter with the same move!" When the two warriors collided, there was a huge flash of light, blinding all of the trainers. When everyone returned their eyes to the field, both Pokemon were covered with bruises, and barely standing.

"Quick, Infernape, use Flame Blitz!" The Pokemon then charged forward, and blasted fire at its opponent with all of its remaining strength. The Electrabuzz collapsed, but so did Infernape.

Lt. Surge returned his Pokemon. "Well done, well done! I never thought that you would win! You're one of the firsts, soldier. Thus, I shall award you the Thunder Badge, despite the results being a draw."

"Thank you," said Ryan as he was handed his "badge of honor".

"So…" said Mira, "Where should we go next?"

* * *

Yes, I know it's short...this is why: 

1. With school starting, I'll get less time to write chapters.

2. I'm in boarding school and my laptop is being REPAIRED. I've been using Common Computers to write this...

I'm also going camping, and I won't be back until Saturday. I might not finish the next chapter until Monday, or even a few weeks later. However, this means that I just don't have time, but I can usually listen to reviews and PMs. I'm not gonna give up on this story without a fight! Also, expect updates during vacations (winter vacation, spring vacation, summer vacation) and POSSIBLY one around Thanksgiving long weekend. Anyways, for the next chapter, should I make Team Rocket appear in Vermillion, or wait a while longer?


	17. Road Block

This chapter's **slightly **longer...

* * *

"Hey," said Ryan, "now that we got Thunder Badges, where do we go next?" 

"Well," replied Mira, "I guess we could either go to Fushia City or Lavender Town. However, Fushia City has a gym, so let's go there."

"Mira, there are two different routes we could take!" said Mark.

"We could either go east, or we could try going back to Celadon City."

"Actually, I'd like to try playing at the Game Corner for a while, so let's go there!"

"Sure, I guess…but we need to leave now if you expect to make it before midnight."

"Alright," said Ryan as he was mounting on his bike, "let's get going!"

At approximately 9:24 p.m., the three trainers arrived in a city, illuminated by the bright lights of all of the buildings. Rows of lights decorated the Game Corner, and bright towers surrounded the region's biggest Department Store.

"Well, Ryan and I are going to go win some stuff. You going to come?"

"No," replied Mira, "I'm not into gambling."

"Well," said Ryan, "we're not gambling money!"

"You're gambling coins that you bought with money."

They were all silent for a while. "Fine," said Mira, "I'll come…"

They went over, bought a bunch of coins, and started playing the slots. Unfortunately, Ryan lost all of his coins in just 15 minutes, while Mark already got 15 jackpots in the same time period. Mira, just kept a steady "lose some, but gain more". In the end Mira ended up with around 2999 coins, and Mark had 10000. Unfortunately, he couldn't fit them all in his box. "Hey Mira, here's a free coin!" "Wow…thanks…I think…at least I have 3000 now…"

When they went over to get some prizes, Mira chose to just save up the coins and buy something later if she ever revisits Celadon City, while Mark bought a Porygon.

"I can't believe it!" said Ryan, "I lost all of my coins, and you end up with 9999!"

"So? I've got another Pokemon now!"

When the trainers got to the Pokemon Center, and rented a room to stay the night in, Mark released his newest team member. The Porygon levitated slowly, and finally said in a computer voice:

"SCANNING NEW TRAINER…BZZT…ERROR…"

"What do you mean error!?" yelled Mark, "How could you have an error."

"FIGURE IN FRONT IS IDENTIFIED AS ARCANINE, BUT IMAGE DOES NOT RESEMBLE STORED COMPARISION IN DATABASE…BZZT…"

"I'm human, not a stupid Arcanine!"

"ERROR"

Everyone was silent for a while until…

"BZZT! ENDED SILENT PERIOD OF 76 SECONDS"

"Okay, my name's Mark, I'm a human, and I'm your trainer okay?"

"BZZT! LOADING…LOADING…DOWNLOAD COMPLETE. CURRENT TRAINER IS MARK, AN ARACANINE THAT BELIEVES HE'S A HUMAN."

Mark sighed. "Fine…it's close enough…"

The next day, the three trainers started heading west towards Cycling Road, until they were blocked by a locked metal gate. On it were two signs; the first one read:

This road is currently closed due to a sleeping Snorlax blocking the road. It is unrealistic to try to wake it, and thus it is recommended to wait until it leaves. Thus, in order to reach Fushia City, please head east past Celadon City and Saffron City to reach Lavender Town, and then walk south along the route until reaching Fushia City.

The next one, however, said:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: There is a Snorlax blocking the route south of Lavender Town. Thus, the only available route to Fushia City is to go east to Saffron City, north to Cerulean City, west through Mt. Moon to Pewter City, south until you reach Pallet Town, travel south through the ocean to Cinnnibar Island, east past Seafoam Island, and then north to arrive in Fushia City.

"Yeah right," said Ryan, as he tried to kick the gate open. Unfortunately, afterwards he was on the ground clutching his sore foot.

"Okay," said Mark, "what now?"

"I don't know…"said Mira, "…wait a sec. There are two options: one is easy, but it involves destroying the gate, while the other one is much more difficult, but doesn't damage the gate in any way."

"Destroy the stupid gate!" said Ryan, still rubbing his foot.

"No, are you crazy?" asked Mark rhetorically, "If we get caught, we could go to jail or something!"

"Fine," muttered Ryan, "don't destroy it…"

"Okay, we all change into Pokemon, and then Ryan can fly over the gate, while Mark and I dig our way under it."

Five minutes later

"Arcanine?" (Translation: How do I dig?)

The Flareon beside him was just staring.

"Flareon flare." (Watch; like this…) Mira then started using her front paws to push the dirt in front of her.

While they were digging their holes, their tails were wagging, and Mark's tail was rubbing against Mira's vibrant red fur. That feels so good…he would be a perfect mate…Wait, what am I thinking!? I'm only a child, and I shouldn't be thinking about…is it mating season yet?…soon, so I better be more careful…

When they all reached the other side, Ryan asked, "Mira, should we return to human form yet?"

"No, not yet. I have an idea to move the Snorlax."

The Pokemon marched over, and soon saw a massive thing in front of them. It had fur, two huge paws, and two huge white feet with 3 claws on each end. It was definitely asleep. It was a Snorlax.

"Now what?"

Mira turned to the Arcanine, "I know you haven't used fire before, but I need your help. We need to use Flamethrower to heat it up."

It nodded, and the two fire-types started roasting the Pokemon. Soon, it yawned, woke up with an angry look on its face, and started marching towards them.

"Great idea…"

* * *

Well, my laptop still isn't fixed, so I'm still using common computers in my dorm. (That makes it more difficult...) Also, the document downloader doesn't work on my school's internet access, so I have to copy and paste everything I write. (Stupid firewall that blocks anything useful...) I'm hoping to get a response or two, because I MIGHT be able to write another chapter tomorrow. Even if I don't finish it, it'll be a start. However, don't expect any updates during the week. I only have time (if I have any time at all) on weekends. Don't forget, though, that I'll update more frequently during the school vacations and possibly during Thanksgiving long weekend.  



	18. New Members

This chapter could have been longer, but I wanted to post it before I start my homework again, in case I don't have time later for it...

* * *

The Arcanine was clearly frightened by the overweight Snorlax.

"_Fee fi fo fum, roasting me is very dumb._"

"_Yes, Mira,_" said Ryan, "_your idea was dumb...got any better ones?_"

The Flareon was silent with fear, until it finally whispered, "_Run?_..."

The huge beast roared a huge yawn, and the two fire-types ran for their lives. However, the Dragonite drew its claws, and flew straight forwards, driving its hand right in the Snorlax's belly.

"_Oof! Was that supposed to hurt me?_"

"_Yes, it was, and so is this._" Ryan then used a combination of Sky Uppercut and Dragon Claw, slamming right into the bear's chin. Surprisingly, the Pokemon hybrid was able to lift it up slightly, and drop it; the Snorlax slammed on the ground. Dirt flew around the air, blinding everyone for a few moments. However, before the Dragonite could respond, it was being crushed by a Slam attack. The Snorlax got up, leaving Ryan smashed flat on the ground. Soon he got up too, and barely dodged another Slam attack. _This is so difficult...maybe Mira was right and I should of ran...but I'm giving this all I've got! Here it comes..._ The Dragonite then flew forward at a rapid speed, ramming right into the normal-type, sending it flying into a tree. It was Dragon Rush.

"_Game over._" Ryan then threw a Pokeball at it; it wiggled...wiggled again...kept on wiggling...clicked. The Dragonite picked up the Pokeball, as the two fire-types slowly emerged from nearby bushes.

"_That was so cool!_" said Mark.

"_Yeah, don't listen to my plans while I'm in Flareon form,_" muttered Mira. However, just then, she remembered something..._Wait a sec, is that why I'm not thinking straight?...No, it's too far away for me to be affected...or is it all in my mind? I better be more careful still..._

"_Well,_" said Ryan, "_Now I have another team mate! We should start heading down cycling road soon._"

The three cyclists arrived in town during midday, with the sun still high in the sky.

"Wow" said Mark, "That was quicker than I expected. I want to go the Safari Zone to catch some Pokemon!"

"What?" replied Ryan.

"There's a place in Fushia City where you can pay money and go catch Pokemon in an enclosed area. I think that it's similar to the Great Marsh or something in the Shinnoh region."

"Oh yeah, you're right. Well, might as well head over then."

They cycled over to the entrance, paid the fee, got the balls, and headed in.

"How long do we have?" asked Mira.

"Actually," explained Mark, "They count the number of steps you take, and after 500, they call you back in."

"It's not nice to spy on people...well, should we split up?"

"Yeah, that way we can each get Pokemon from different areas."

Mira started walking around randomly, until she heard something in the bushes behind her. It smelled rather familiar to her Flareon sense of smell. The bushes rustled again, and she chucked her first Safari Ball. The sound of it opening up and closing again could be heard; after 15 seconds, the Pokemon hybrid snuck into the growth, and found a Safari Ball there, enclosing a Pokemon. _I wonder what it is...I better wait until after the game is over..._

(439 steps later...)

DING DONG! YOUR SAFARI GAME IS OVER!

Mira went into the entrance building, and found her friends there. "Hey, what did you catch?"

Ryan sighed. "Nothing..."

"Better luck next time," said Matt, "I caught a Parasect!" He opened his Safari Ball, sending out a mushroom-shaped insect. "How about you?"

"Well," said Mira as she took out her own Safari Ball, "This Pokemon was hiding in the bushes, and I didn't get to see it before I threw the ball. Here goes nothing..." she released the Pokeball, sending out a large pink Pokemon. It had a happy smile on its face, and had an egg inside a pouch on her belly.

"Chansey!" it cried.

"Aww..." said Matt, "You caught one of **those**?"

"Yeah, I guess I did..."

"You're **so** lucky! Chanseys are such good healers that we can get treatment between cities without having to go to a Pokemon Center! This is awesome!"

The Chansey had a puzzled look on its face.

Mira faced it. "Hi there."

"_Where am I?_"

"You're not in the Safari Zone anymore. I caught you."

The poor Pokemon was shocked. "_Does this mean that you're going to make me f-fight?_"

"No, I'll probably just make you heal us."

The Chansey sighed. "_That's a relief; I know Softboiled and Heal Bell_" Suddenly it realized something. "_Y-you can understand me?_"

Mira nodded, and the Chansey fainted.

"Oh great," said Ryan, "Our healer needs some healing...probably mentally as well. Well, don't you think we should go down to the gym and battle yet?"

* * *

I'm sorry that I didn't update quicker; boarding schools are very good at messing up schedules. Well, anyways, I have no idea when the next update will be; however, if I finish my homework soon, it'll probably be tomorrow (hopefully). Also, the document uploader is blocked by the school's firewall, so I have to use the "copy and paste" technique on previous documents. However, since I used the newest version of Microsoft Word, even though I only used one space between paragraphs, it showed up here as 3. Thus, I wasted about 60 seconds of my life changing that. Anyways, please review and don't forget to read Destiny Origins by Delta Knight.


	19. Lessons in the Gym

Okay, I'm sorry that I didn't update sooner; I finished the fan-fic, but the school's proxy server broke down, so I couldn't post this up yet. Anyways, I had time, so I wrote two chapters. I **think** that they're both longer than normal.

* * *

After the trainers made a quick stop at the Pokemon Center to heal Mira's Chansey, they marched down to the Fushia City Gym. When they went inside, it seemed to be an empty room, with the gym leader standing in the middle of it. He was dressed in a dark cloth suit, with a red scarf.

"Ah," said the ninja, "are you new challengers?"

"Yes, we are" said Mark, stepping forward. However, he slammed into an invisible glass wall.

"Oww..." he groaned.

"I thought that you might have fallen for that trick. Very well, you shall go first then, as it gives you no time to study me. That shall be the punishment. Begin!" Koga then threw out a Pokeball that seemed like it came out of nowhere, releasing a Venemoth.

"Fine," said Mark, "Go Vulpix!" The small brown fox was on the field as well.

"_Master,_" it said, "_I haven't trained a lot...are you sure you can expect me to win?_"

"Of course you can win. Use Flamethrower!" The fire-type released a line of flame, but the insect dodged, and attacked with Silver Wind. It blew the Vulpix against the wall, but other than that seemed to do little damage. The fox tried again, but it was given the same results.

Koga smiled. "You need the stealth of a ninja if you expect to win."

Mark pointed towards the moth. "Fire Spin in every direction!"

Flames started shooting out of the fox's mouth, spiralling in every direction. The room slowly got warmer, and the Venemoth was flying around frantically, trying to escape. Unfortunately, it was caught inside of a burning tower. It knew it could not escape, without being burned to a crisp.

"Vulpix use..." However, before he could finish the order, he was cut off by a sonic wave of sound. Bug Buzz.

Everyone, including the Gym Leader, were holding their ears, while the Vulpix, clearly in pain, was trying to pull off an attack.

"_I can't let Mark down...but I can't...No...I CAN! I CAN DO THIS!_" Its eyes opened, shining like torching flames. It opened its mouth releasing a marvellous burning star, flying straight towards the insect. It burst into flames, and was returned to its Pokeball.

Koga was smiling. "That was the most impressive Fire Blast I've ever seen. Truly a work of art. Now, who's next?"

"Let me try," replied Mira.

"Very well." Koga released a huge blob of purple slime.

"Let's go Saroc!" Mira threw her Pokeball, releasing the powerful Pidgeot.

"Finally! A battle!" It started flying higher into the air.

"Muk, use Sludge Bomb to weigh it down." The poison-type tried shooting slime at the bird, but it was already too high in the sky.

"Saroc, use Brave Bird!"

The Pidgeot then dived at full speed towards the Muk. It was going so fast that it seemed like a blur, and it flew right threw the poison-type, which was seriously injured. 

"**That**," said Koga, "Is the stealth of a ninja." He turned to Ryan.

"Very well, let's go Luxray!" As soon as the lion was released, it pounced on its trainer, and started licking his face like mad.

"_Hi...there...sweety..._"

Finally, Ryan pushed her off, and gave her the evil eye. The Luxray countered with puppy dog eyes. Ryan sighed. "Just battle..."

Koga took out another Pokeball, "Let's go Weezing."

The two-headed floating ball was levitating above the gym floor.

The Luxray pounced towards the poison-type, put just before it hit, smoke filled the air, and the attack missed. Out of nowhere, a huge ball of sludge landed on the lion. It couldn't get past the sticky slime.

"Use Shock Wave, now!" The Luxray then released a small bolt that floated through the smoke, tracking its target. Suddenly, through the dense fog, you could see the yellow outline of a Weezing.

"Great, now use Discharge!" The lion glowed yellow, and shot electricity in every direction, streaking like lightning bolts. Several hit the Weezing again, but this time you could see the yellow outline floating to the ground, and then a flash of red light.

Threw the dark room, you could hear a strong voice. "Impressive; you need to learn to work through anything. All of you deserve Soul Badges."

After the trainers made a quick stop at the Pokemon Center, they stopped and thought about where to go next.

"The next gym is on Cinnibar Island..." said Mark.

"But it's in the ocean..." finished Mira, "We need a water type..."

"No," interrupted Ryan, "I can fly, remember? I can carry you two in your Pokeballs and all of our gear."

Mira sighed. "Fine I guess. Let's go down to the beach. It's just that I like having a body..."

When they reached the shore, they heard a loud cry. "LAAA!"

"It came from over there," said Mira, pointing towards the other end of the beach. When they got there, they found an injured Lapras, surrounded by several Krabby; it couldn't defend itself.

Mira was angry. "Sunrise, make us some Krabby sushi!" She released her sister on to the sandy beach.

The Leafeon sighed. "Fine...I just thought that beating them up would be good, but no you want food as well..."

The Leafeon charged forward, and...

BZZT! The following scene has been removed for the reader's safety. BZZT!

When all of the Krabbys were gone (in a way...), Mira sent out her Chansey, and ran over to the Lapras.

"Are you okay?"

"_No...I was attacked..._"

"By who?"

"_A submarine near the Seafoam Islands...it was huge, black, had a red R on it, and it shot me with electricity..."_

"So you're probably paralyzed."

"_Yeah, I guess...wait...were you just talking to me?_"

"Yeah," said Mira, who then turned to the healer, "Chansey, could you use a Heal Bell and a Softboiled?"

"_Sure_."

When the Lapras was healed, they all had a feast of sushi, and Mira explained that she and her friends were Pokemon hybrids. They were kind of shocked, but got over it rather quickly.

"Lapras," said Mira, "could you help us get over to the Seafoam Islands?"

"_Okay, but why?_"

The Flareon-hybrid made a fist with her hand, "I have a score to settle with Team Rocket."

* * *

I hope that you enjoyed it; unfortunately, the next one's shorter...  



	20. Game Over

Here's my second one...

* * *

When the trainers finally reached the cave entrance, Mira hugged the Lapras.

"Thank you for helping."

"_Your welcome. It wasn't really a problem; it would have been a problem if those Krabby tore me apart_."

"I better let you go now..."

"_What do you mean?"_

"I...I realized that I've sort of been making a mistake...I've been catching Pokemon and making them battle, and I'm kind of a Pokemon myself..."

"_No, Mira, it's okay. I want to stay and help you. Battle as well. Any Pokemon would give up their previous life to be with someone like you._"

Mira smiled. "Okay, let's do a quick one." That was what dad's Pokemon said to him...

Afterwards, the three trainers went into the cave. It was snow covered, and surprisingly had ladders.

"You know what we're here for right?" asked Mira.

The others nodded.

"Alright, so I'm going to turn into a Flareon now. This will help me keep warm, as well as track Team Rocket."

They nodded again, except this time Mark asked, "Wouldn't it be cold to take off your clothes here?"

However, standing before then was already a Flareon, being caught in a girl's clothes.

"_Help?_"

Once their tracker was free, she sniffed the air, and started walking. Unfortunately, being four-legged, she needed to be carried down ladders. Finally, when they reached the last floor, they heard a loud, echoing "KYOO!"

"Flareon?"

"I don't know...let's go over and check." They ran to the source of the sound, and saw a horrifying sight. Team Rocket goons were all standing around a machine, gripping onto a huge blue bird, with glittering tail feathers. Standing before it was Giovanni.

Mira started growling, but Ryan covered her mouth. "Shh..." he whispered, "Remember what we learned today: stealth is important if you want to win." Mira used her mouth to pick up a Pokeball, releasing Saroc. Ryan then released Infernape and Luxray, while Mark released Porygon and Zane. They huddled together, and though of a plan that couldn't fail.

Saroc then flew high in the air, swooped down, and tackled a number of goons.

"What's happening!?" they yelled.

Suddenly, Luxray, ran to the middle of them, and used Discharge. Infernape and Zane then came out and obliterated them with a series of punches and bites.

"Secure Articuno!" ordered Giovanni, but he was too late. He turned towards the machine, and saw Porygon connected to it.

"BZZT! Downloading...downloading...download complete. Machine hacked, disarmed, and destroyed. BZZT!" Suddenly, Articuno broke free, and started using Powder Snow on Team Rocket.

"No..." muttered the leader.

"Flareon flare?"

He turned around and saw the Flareon-hybrid. "No...not you either..."

He tried to run, but Mira used Overheat, and pushed him off the cliff into the running rapids, where the waves devoured him.

She smiled. "Flareon." (Translation: Game Over)

Once all of the Team Rocket members were either dead, unconscious, or somewhere in between those, Articuno flew down.

"_Thank you, friends. I sense your power, and I know your secret. They tried to capture me, and use me for evil purposes, but darkness shall not succeed. Win the Indigo League, and achieve your goals._"

The bird then flew farther into the cave.

The three trainers left the Seafoam Islands, and rode Lapras over to Cinnibar Island. However, it was night time the gym was already closed, so they decided to stay the night at the Pokemon Center.

However, while everyone else was checking in for a room, Mira excused herself and went to one of the video telephones.

"Mom?"

"Oh, hi honey! I wasn't expecting a call from you. How has your journey been going."

"Great! I've made several friends, both humans and Pokemon, and I'm on Cinnibar Island right now...but I have a question..."

"What is it?"

"...When's mating season starting?..."

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's not like you're going to fall in love and mate with one of your Pokemon."

"Actually...I met a boy as soon as I left Viridian City. He sort of became my boyfriend, but eventually he was captured by Team Rocket and turned into an Arcanine-hybrid, and now I'm starting to feel strange around him...It's complicated, and I'll tell you and dad everything when I get home..."

"Oh...yeah, you're Flareon half is obviously pleased right now. Mating season started ...yesterday..."

"...Thanks mom...bye..."

Mira hung up the phone.

* * *

Well, I'll update again ASAP. Also, I want some ideas if anyone has them. I also need help with the big final gym battle...well, I could do it myself, but when more people work on something like that, it'll probably end up a lot better than my previous battle scenes... 


	21. The Hidden Gym

This chapter's slightly longer than usual, as I spent a little time each day on it.

* * *

The next morning, Mira seemed distracted while eating her breakfast. 

"Mira?" asked Mark. She was still in a trance.

"Mira? Are you okay?" he asked again, breaking her daze.

"Oh...um...sorry about that."

"Is...there anything wrong?"

"No...don't worry about me. I'm fine." _I'm sort of worried about **you**_...

They started going to look for the gym, but couldn't find it!

"Hello there," said an elderly man. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, summer shorts, pitch black sunglasses, and had a white beard. "May I be of assistance?"

"Yes," said Ryan, "Where's the gym?"

"Oh, it was closed."

"WHAT!?"

"Didn't you hear? Cinnibar Island's Volcano has been a tourist attraction for the past 25 years or so...the gym was closed down because of that."

Mira was thinking. _My dad came here and got a badge within the past within the past 25 years..._ "Are you sure? What about the trainers who received badges during those past 25 years?"

The man smiled. "Very few did...answer my riddle then: What do you call a Pokemon that blends in with its surroundings?"

"A Kelceon?" asked Mira.

"No, this is a riddle."

"How about a Charmeleon?" asked Mark.

"Good, now it's up to you to find one if you expect to find the gym leader." With that final statement, the man left.

"So," said Ryan, "We need to find a Charmeleon?"

"Yeah," replied Mark, "but probably a statue or something, rather than the real thing."

The three trainers started looking, and did not find anything inside the city, and decided to look in the forests surrounding the volcano. Eventually, near its base, they found a stone Charmeleon statue.

"Great," said Ryan, "Now what do we do?"

"Wait," said Mira, "Isn't there something **wrong** with it?"

They were silent for a while, until Mark said, "The tail?"

"Yeah," said Ryan, "There's no flame."

"I'll light it," said Mira, already stepping in front of it, and somehow conjuring flames out of her mouth, onto the tail. She noticed that her friends seemed to be shock. "It takes practice; after all, I've been a Pokemon hybrid since I was born."

Suddenly, a nearby boulder started moving, revealing stone steps down into the ground. It was dimly lit by small wall torches, and appeared to be quite deep.

"Wanna go in?" asked Ryan.

"Of course!" replied Mira, "I need a badge from Cinnibar Island, if I want to participate in the Indigo League." With that statement, she marched down the stairs, and her friends followed. After what seemed to be an eternity, they reached the bottom of the steps, and a short hallway with a metal door at the end. Engraved on it was another riddle: "What did the Pokemon Magician say?"

They all thought for a while, until Ryan blurted out "Abra Kadabra Alakazam". The metal door slowly slid open. It revealed a large room containing a huge metal stadium suspended by chains above a pool of molten lava. Standing on the other end of the arena was the old man that gave them the riddle.

"Impressive; I was waiting for you to arrive, and never expected that you would come so quickly."

"Who are you ?" asked Ryan.

Mira yelled out to the old man, "You're Blaine, the Cinnibar Island gym leader."

"Correct. Now are you ready to battle inside my secret volcano gym."

"Isn't this sort of...dangerous?" asked Mark.

"Well, if you don't like my style, then get out of the gym."

"Fine. I'm not leaving!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am, and to prove it I'll battle you first!"

"Very well, go Rhydon!" He released the massive beast onto the field.

"Go Zane!" Of course, Mark released his most powerful Pokemon. The Mighteyana looked at his surroundings. "_Great...you want me to fight over a pool of burning lava, with an opponent who's triple my size...why must you do this to me?_"

The Rhydon then started charging forward, but Zane stepped to the side and used Bite on its arm. However, it was rock-hard, and the Mighteyana let go. "_OW! My poor teeth...YOU'RE GOING DOWN!_"

The Rhydon, also being as dumb as a rock, charged forward again, and the Mighteyana dodged again, but this time used Dark Pulse on it. The wave of negative thoughts formed into energy, ripping through the air, and knocking his opponent backwards onto the ground. Zane then slammed right into him with Faint Attack, and then used a Shadow Ball. At first, it seemed like the attacks did not have much effect, until they realized where the Rhydon actually was; it was just on the edge of the arena. Zane used one last Faint Attack, and it was falling towards the lava. Blaine, fortunately, returned his Pokemon before it was sent to its death.

"Great use of environment, now who's next?"

"I'll go," said Mira.

Blaine sent out his Magmar, and Mira sent out Lapras. Unfortunately, it used Hydro Pump right away, causing an automatic win. Fire and water do **not** mix well.

"I guess that just leaves you," said Blaine.

Ryan nodded, "I'm ready," and released his Snorlax.

"_Where am I? Must...SLEEP!_" It then fell asleep.

Blaine sent out his Ninetales, which used Flame Thrower on it. (Sound familiar?)

Snorlax woke up. "_FEE FI FO FUM! ROASTING ME IS VERY DUMB!_"

It then jumped and landed on top of the fox.

"Okay," said Blaine, "That was my quickest defeat ever that didn't involve a water-type..."

The three trainers went back to the Pokemon Center for some rest, but while the boys went back to the room, Mira got on the phone.

"Mom?...We're coming soon...alright...really? That's ummm...okay. Bye."

"One more gym!" cheered Ryan.

"Wait...Mira? Isn't that..."

"Yes, it's my father's gym...this will probably be our hardest battle yet..."

* * *

Well, my schedule is busy, leaving me with only 60 minutes of free time in the morning, 30 minutes of free time in the afternoon, and 30 minutes of free time at night...I guess that** is **good enough for now...Also, I changed the rating in preparation for the big event...though the gym is the big event, I meant the other one...Oh yeah, so the gym battle might be broken into different chapters, and it might take me a while to do all of them...I'll try to start this weekend. In the meantime, read and review! I'm still accepting any ideas you may have...also, does anyone want to watch videos made by my school? These are student-made videos take on campus, and they're all really good. p6-EzlxNds SIcIetz-oTell me what you think of those, but make sure you watch them to the end; ESPECIALLY the second one! 


	22. The Final Gym

Well, I finished the 8th gym...

* * *

The next morning, the three trainers went to Cinnibar Island's northern beach, got onto Lapras, and started heading to the final gym. Thoughts were filling all of their minds...

_The final gym leader...is Mira's dad? _

_ I can't believe I'm actually going to do meet Mira's parents! Wait...are we even in a relationship yet?...um..._

_Keep on swimming. Keep on swimming. Keep on swimming. _

_ Mom...dad...I made it this far, with so many friends as well but...are we ready for this?...Yes...We **need** to be..._

When the trainers reached Pallet Town, it was already noon, and by the time they reached Viridian City, it was 2:00.

"This was the beginning," said Mira, "and let's hope that it isn't the end as well..."

When they reached the gym, there was a huge "CLOSED FOR THE DAY" sign spread across the doors.

"WHAT!?" said Mark, "You're dad's gym is CLOSED!?"

"This way," said Mira, as she led them to a quaint-looking house right next door. She ringed the doorbell, and yelled "I'M HOME!"

A young lady with bright orange hair opened the door.

"Hi honey!" she said, hugging her daughter. "Are these your friends?"

"Yeah, the one with brown hair's Mark, and the one with black hair is Ryan; he's from Shinnoh."

"Really? Well, why don't all of you come in."

They all went inside, and sat down in the living room.

"How come the gym's closed today?" asked Mark.

"Oh, it's so that you can all have a private gym battle."

"Really?"

Misty nodded. "Oh, and Mira, your brothers and sisters are in the backyard...do you want to have a little reunion first, or should we start battling right away?"

Mira was silent for a while. "Where's dad?"

"Oh, he's waiting in the gym right now with your grandpa."

"Let's battle first."

Misty brought the trainers over to the gym, and used a small key to unlock the doors. After they went in, she locked the doors again.

"Dad!"

Mira ran into her father's arms, and they hugged.

"Hello there Mira. How's your adventure been?"

"Great, and I've made so many friends as well."

"Would you like to start battling yet?"

Mira nodded, and a Ninetales came up from behind her father.

"_Who am I battling today?_"

"Probably Ryan...yes, Ryan. Mark should battle mother, and I'll battle you, father." 

"Alright, now I want all of you to get into the changing rooms now."

Mira nodded, took her friends' hands, and led them into a room.

"Wait," said Ryan, "Why are we going into changing rooms?"

"So that we can get changed."

"For what?"

"For battling, of course!"

"Wait...you don't mean..."

"Yes, **we're** battling them."

"Mira?" asked Mark.

"Yes?"

"Shouldn't there be separate change rooms for boys and..."

Before he finished, standing in front of him was a Flareon tangled in a girl's clothes.

"Flare?"

"Never mind..."

Soon, an Arcanine, Flareon, and Dragonite marched out onto the field. In front of them were a Jolteon, Vaporeon, and Ninetales.

"_Ryan,_" said Ash, "_You'll be battling Nathan, Mira's grandfather._"

"_This'll be a good battle,_" said the Ninetales.

Everyone else stood on the sidelines, and the two started battling.

Nathan immediately attacked with a Fire Blast, slamming Ryan into the wall. _That hurt...I should have a slight immunity to fire..._

This time, Ryan rocketed forward with Dragon Rush, slamming the Ninetales into the wall. However, it immediately got up, trapped him with Fire Spin, and then pounced with Fire Fang.

"_OWW! IT BURNS!_" Ryan was trapped and damaged by the burning flames spiralling around him, which were also giving Nathan the fire power to maintain the attack.

Ryan finally broke free, sliced him with Dragon Claw, and launched him into the air with Sky Uppercut. As he was falling, he used Fire Blast, but Ryan used Dragon Pulse; the two attacks collided, causing an implosion, covering the field with a layer of smoke.

Suddenly, the red outline of a fox could be seen, and then a huge Overheat attack blasted through the smoke into Ryan, slamming him into the wall again. _I can't stand this!_

Ryan suddenly charged forward, and recklessly attacked Nathan. He kept going and going, until he finally won; Outrage. _Dizzy...dizzy..._ Ryan fell down as well, and Mira helped return both of them to their Pokeballs.

"_You're next_," said Misty to Mark.

"_...okay..._" _I'm at a disadvantage here, so I need to be extra careful..._

Misty immediately used a Hydro Pump, but Mark dodged and used Take Down, sending Misty into the wall. However, she immediately got up and used Water Pulse. The Arcanine couldn't do anything except for trying to keep its balance. The Vaporeon, however, used this distraction to activate Aqua Ring. Mark then used Take down again, but got a little wet afterwards; unfortunately, water is poison to fire-types. "_OWWWWWWW! WHAT HAPPENED!?_"

"_Aqua Ring. When you hit me, you went right through it._"

The battle carried on. Mark tried more Take Downs, and several bites, but he just was getting weaker and weaker.

"_Let's end this..._" However, just as Misty was opening her mouth, it seemed as time froze for Mark. He charged forward at unbelievable speed, and slammed the Vaporeon into the wall before a drop of water was released. He bit down on her, and threw her into the centre of the field again.

"_Mira,_" said Ash, "_It's time for our battle now...are you ready for this?_"

"_Yes, I am...this is my final challenge before the Indigo League..._"

The two got onto the field. Mira started off with a Flamethrower, but her father dodged long before the attack would have hit, and used Thunderbolt.

_Great Mew, he's deadly fast..._This time, the Flareon faked an attack to get the Jolteon to start moving, and then had him run into a full-power Fire Blast.

"_Nasty trick...I won't fall for it again..._"

Ash used Thunderbolt, but Mira dodged and used Flamethrower. The Jolteon then used Shock Wave; Mira tried to run away, but unfortunately the attack chased her down.

"_Ow..._"

Ash then pounced on her daughter with Thunder Fang; Mira grimaced and then bit down on him with Fire Fang. They kept a steady hold on each other, pain evident in their faces.

"Flare..."

"Jolt..."

The two broke away from each other. Ash then charged electricity in his body, and shot a huge Thunder attack towards Mira, but she built up fire in her body, and blasted a full-power Overheat. The two attacks collided, pushing to maintain control. Unfortunately, the attacks were so evenly matched, that they both exploded, slamming the two Pokemon into the walls, knocking them out unconscious.

* * *

It could have been longer, but I wanted to get on with the story; spending too much time on one battle is also something that I don't really enjoy. I hope that I didn't disappoint the readers too much... After all, this is NOT the big battle in my fan-fic; there's always going to be something bigger. However, I have several plans to make this plot more interesting; it will take time before they're revealed. There's going to be another chapter posted hopefully soon, concerning the rest of the time the trainers spend there.  



	23. Nearly There!

Another treat!

* * *

After the trainers were healed and returned to human forms, they all sat down together in the Ketchums' house. There, Mira introduced her friends to all of her siblings. The travellers also told of their adventures, including how they all met, and how they stopped Team Rocket from capturing Articuno. Now that they had all of the badges, they finally qualified to compete in the Indigo League. They had a feast together, but afterwards Mark walked up and talked privately to Misty. 

"Mrs.Ketchum?..."

"Please, just call me Misty."

"Misty...it's about Mira..."

"Yes?"

"I'm worried about mating season. During our journey together she mentioned it once or twice, and always seems to be lost in thought; I'm pretty sure that that's what she's thinking about..."

Misty sighed. "Yes, mating season started a few days ago...she didn't tell you that did she?"

Mark shook his head.

"She probably didn't want you to worry...well, it sort of **is** something to be concerned about...I **should **teach you some things about romance..."

"No, it's **really **not necessary..."

"But I insist... Well, girls like it when boys pay attention to them and show concern...We also like those who aren't really crazy, nor those who are silent all of the time...However, being hybrids, love is quite different..."

"Mating season?"

"Yes, I'll get to that in a bit...Okay, Mira herself would probably like you for who you are...in case you didn't know she already does..."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she told me...well, her Flareon half, however, isn't concerned about that type of thing...She'll be watching everything you do, and everything you say; basically, every movement you make is important...like your tail rubbing against her...It's like playing with two different personalities, looking for two different types of guys...but you only want to play with her human half..."

"Why?"

"It's because her Flareon half is basically a Pokemon...after a certain point, her better judgement would be overpowered by her instincts...That's how Pokemon minds work...and that's why it's dangerous...mating season...you need to be careful about it. Whatever you do, **don't** mate with her...it's much worse than you think...Mira's only 10 years old, and her human body hasn't developed...completely...but her Flareon body has, and if you mate...she won't be able to change back until after birth...do you understand?"

"Yes...I understand..."

Misty put her hand on his shoulder. "Just be careful...you've done well protecting her..."

"Sometimes it's the opposite as well."

They both laughed together.

The next morning, the three trainers at a huge breakfast, and started preparing for the Indigo League.

"Mira?" asked Ash.

"Yes father? What is it?"

"How many Pokemon do you have?"

"Let's see...Sunrise...Saroc...Chansey...Lapras...4."

"Ryan? Mark?"

"I just have 3," replied Ryan.

"I have ummm...Zane, Vulpix, Porygon, Parasect...I have 4 as well."

"Actually, you're going to need six to compete..."

"WHAT!?"

"Yeah...so I'm sure that Mira's siblings could join you..."

"Huh?"

"Let's see...who do we have left...Dewdrop the Espeon, Ember the Flareon, Sparky the Umbreon, and Dreamer the Glaceon."

"Dewdrop?" asked Mira, "Do you want to join my team?"

"_I guess...why not? I'll do it!_"

"Okay, that's great! Now who else?"

All of her siblings to join, and started arguing about who gets to join her, but the chaos ended by the word of a certain Ninetales.

"_Enough!"_

Everyone was silent.

"_I've decided,_" said Nathan, "_That **I** would like to join your team._"

"What!?...Grandpa...are you sure?"

"Of _course I'm sure! Don't give me the You're too old to fight thing, because if you don't let me come, I'll just battle any trainers who challenge this gym!_"

"Fine...I guess that means I have a full team now!"

"Okay," said Mark, "Who'll join **my** team?"

Everyone was silent.

"..."

Continued silence, until...

"_I guess that I could join..._" said Sparky.

"YES! Now I just need one more!"

"_Sorry_," said Dreamer, "_but_ _I sort of want to stay here..."_

"_So do I_," said Ember.

"I need one more Pokemon though!"

"Well," said Ash, "Don't forget that the Indigo League isn't right next door. You're still going have to travel there, and you'll probably see more Pokemon along the way."

"Okay..."

"Hey," said Ryan, "You have it lucky. I need **3** more!"

"Don't worry," replied Mira, "I'm sure you'll be fine. Now, should we start get going?"

"Okay."

Mira said her goodbyes to her family, and the three trainers started heading west towards their next goal. Eventually, they reached a intricate building.

"What is this?" asked Ryan.

"It's the entrance to an enclosed route," responded Mira, "You're only allowed to enter if you have earned all 8 badges, as you can find more powerful Pokemon there."

They went inside, and saw a guard.

"May I please check your badges?" he asked.

They handed him their badge cases, and he used a special scanner to analyze them.

"What's that for?" asked Mira, "I never knew that such technology was used even before we have reached the Indigo League."

"Oh...it's a new regulation. Apparently, someone was able to forge a set of badges, and make it to this year's Indigo League. Thus, we decided to upgrade our security a bit...Okay, you're all set. Just keep going north."

"Thank you," they all said, and entered the gate.

They walked for a while, and saw several detailed statures of different Pokemon, such as Charzairds, Nidokings, and Rhydons. Eventually they reached a lake, and used Lapras to get across. However, along the way, a huge blue duck jumped out of the water.

"Golduck!" it cried.

This startled everyone, including Mark, who released Zane by accident. Unfortunately, he landed in the water.

"_AHHH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!? YOU'RE AN IDIOT!_" He then grabbed on to the Golduck (with his mouth), trying to get out of the water.

"Good job," said Mark, returning the Mighteyana, and throwing a Pokeball at the wild Pokemon. Afterwards, he fished it out of the water.

"YES! I'VE GOT A FULL TEAM!"

"Mark," asked Mira, "Were you even planning to use Zane?"

"Umm..."

His girlfriend smiled. "I didn't think so."

When they reached the other end of the lake, they continued walking.

"What's at the end of this route, anyways?" asked Ryan.

"Victory Road," said Mira.

_5 minutes later..._

"What do you mean _Road_? This is a CAVE! There isn't any _road_ in it at all!"

"Hey," said Mira, "I wasn't the one who named it!"

The three trainers entered the cave, ready to endure any challenges that they may face.

* * *

Okay, now I don't really have anything planned for Victory Road, other than Ryan completing his team. If anyone has an idea, I'd love to hear it! Also, I have a grand plot outline for the rest of the story, which you'll probably be seeing over the next few months. (Yes, MONTHS! It'll keep going until I run out of ideas.) Well, I'll write the next chapter as soon as I have time. Oh yeah, and tell me if anyone knows any really good Pokemon fan-fics that are still being updated.  



	24. Sign in

That was a very quick update...

* * *

After about 30 minutes of time walking along the "road", the three trainers noticed something. 

"Did you hear that?" asked Mira.

"What?" asked Ryan.

"That sound..." Everyone was silent for a while.

"What sound?"

"In the ground..."

"How do you expect to hear things in the ground?"

"I'm part Flareon..."

"Right..."

Suddenly, the ground burst right underneath them, sending the trainers flying in different directions. Slowly, a metal snake rose from the hold.

"_Grr...Intruders detected..._"

"Wow!" said Ryan, "I thought that you could only find these wild in Shinnoh..." He sent out his Infernape.

"Get that Steelix!"

His Pokemon then immediately charged forward with Close Combat, knocking it out with one hit.

"Bingo!" Ryan threw his Pokeball, catching the foe. "4 members!"

"Great..." said Mark, "Can we get out of here?..."

Suddenly, another Pokemon dug through the ground right where he was standing.

"Sandslash?..." it said.

However, Mark fell over, and dropped an empty Pokeball onto it.

It wiggled...wiggled again...click.

"Wow..."

When they finally found the exit, they saw a huge metal coliseum, surrounded by a few smaller buildings. (In case you're wondering where the traditional tall building is, no one will be able to go to the secret location until they are certified to challenge the Elite Four.)

"Is this the Indigo League?" asked Ryan.

"Sure is!" replied Mira, "We're finally here! Let's go sign in."

They ran into the main building, where there was a young lady dressed in a blue uniform at the counter.

"Hello, would you like to sign up for this year's tournament?"

"Wait..." said Ryan, "I'll be right back." He walked over to one of the Pokeball teleporters/phones.

"Hello, may I please speak with Sarah?...What?...No...Really, that's unusual...uh-oh...okay...send over Roserade and Floatzel. He took two Pokeballs from the teleporters and hung up.

"No..." he mumbled.

"Ryan?" asked Mark, "You okay?"

"...I'll be fine...let's sign in."

After they showed the attendant their badges, and showed their six-Pokemon parties, she gave them an explanation of the tournament.

"Okay, first of all there will be preliminary rounds, of just double battles. Once we are down to 16 contestants, we shall hold 4-on-4 double battles until the championship, which will be a complete 6-on-6 battle. The tournament shall start in a few days...until then please keep yourselves comfortable at our trainer hotels, and feel free to train at the Practice Center. If your Pokemon need to be healed, bring them here. Until then, enjoy yourselves."

"Ryan, what were you doing earlier?" asked Mira.

"I was calling...a friend...I got two more Pokemon."

"Really?"

"Yeah...I guess that I never told you about my adventures in Shinnoh...I'll tell them now, but first let's get a room..."

Once they were sitting down on sofas in their hotel room, Ryan began...

"Alright, along my journey, I met another girl named Sarah...she had vibrant blue hair, and was an excellent trainer...we travelled together, collecting all of the badges...We were good...**really **good friends...When we got to the Shinnoh League, she won the tournament, challenged the region's Elite Four, and won...she became the Shinnoh Champion...I gave her 4 of my Pokemon to look after before I left for Kanto, as she had to stay behind to train...it was a sad goodbye...but...something happened...I called her to get some Pokemon for the Indigo League...but someone else answered...there was an attack...The Elite Four and Sarah stayed to defend the building, but...they lost...and they...WHOEVER they are...took her away..."

Ryan then burst into tears, and his friends comforted him.

"It's okay...Everything will be fine...Hey, why don't you show us your Pokemon?"

"Alright..." Ryan wiped off his tears, and released a Roserade and a Floatzel.

"Hello. Did you miss me?"

"_Of course we did!_" replied Floatzel.

"_Master Ryan! I'm so happy to be able to see you again!_" said Roserade.

"Please...don't call me _master_...I'm not anyone's master."

"_But...wait a sec...master?_"

"No, Roserade, don't call me that."

"_You understand us?_" asked Floatzel.

"Yes."

"_How is that possible?"_ asked Roserade.

"Umm...meet my friends Mira and Mark."

"...hi?" said Mark.

"Ryan," said Mira, "Aren't you going to tell them?"

"Yes..."

"Well?"

"Only if you do so too!"

"Sure," said Mira.

"No...please don't make me..." said Mark.

"Then I **won't** tell them..."

"_Please Mark..._" said Floatzel and Roserade.

"Fine...Mira, just don't..."

He was too late again. On the couch was a Flareon tangled up in girl's clothes.

"Flare? Flareon?"

"Okay...I guess it **is** a bit cute..."

"Flareon eon, flare."

"Fine...just a sec..."

The two boys took off their clothes and changed as well.

Mira and Mark then released Sunrise, Dewdrop, Sparky, and Zane.

"_Oh no_," said Zane, "_I'm surrounded by freaks...wait...no life threatening situation?_"

"_No..._" replied Mark.

"_Mira,_" said Sunrise, "_What sort of painful punishment would you like me to endure today?_"

"_P-painful?_" said Dewdrop.

"_Yes...painful..._"

"_No...and what do you mean...oh...okay, let's play a game of tag!_"

Sunrise sighed. "_I wish that you would say something like, 'Let's all go to sleep'..._"

"_Okay, sis, you can sleep. Why don't we all just do our own thing?_"

Thus, she got onto one of the beds and started sleeping, and so did Zane. Ryan started talking to his Pokemon about his journey in Kanto. Mira and Dewdrop started a conversation, and Sparky brought Mark to a corner for their own private discussion.

"_You're my trainer now, right?_"

"_Umm...I guess I am..._"

"_Alright,_ _that's okay then. I'm glad that my sis actually scored herself a boyfriend._"

"_What?_"

"_Yeah, don't you have the hots for Mira?_"

Meanwhile, Mira asked Dewdrop about her Psychic powers.

"_What about them?_"

"_I want you to..._"

"_read other people's minds?_"

"_Yes, how did you know?_"

"_...I read your mind..." _

"_Really?_"

"_No...I was just joking...you're quite easy to predict...Anyways, fine...whose mind should I invade first?_"

"_What's Zane and Sunrise dreaming about?_"

"_Zane is...dreaming about fighting...and Sunrise is dreaming about sleeping..._"

"_Mark?_" asked Sparky.

"_Yeah?_"

"_Just be careful...I don't think that she's ready to have kids yet...she's much more human than her siblings and I._"

"_Okay...I will._"

* * *

I know that it was** slightly** shorter than other chapters that I've been writing recently. Now, I'm going to be more busy the next few days, so don't expect any immediate updates like this one; it's just that I had extra time today, since I barely got any homework. Yay! The tournament's going to start soon, because I'll use my author powers to warp time! Okay, I guess that's all. Remember, I like it when people review, because it makes me feel people are actually reading this. Also, suggest this fan-fic if you know someone who you think will like it.  



	25. Why?

Okay, I actually was able to write this...

* * *

The three trainers spent most of their time training; soon, all of their Pokemon knew of their unique ability. When the tournament finally started, they completely obliterated their competition. After 3 days of boring and effortless battles, the real challenge came. 

"Attention all contestants! We have now calculated the final 16 trainers, and determined your opponents. Please go to the main coliseum to see the standings for the rest of the tournament."

The three trainers started heading over, hoping that they would not need to face each other right away. Luckily, they were each in a different section of the board. However, Ryan's face paled.

"No...impossible..."

"What's wrong?" asked Mira.

"That..." he was pointing at a picture on the board. It was of a girl with long blue hair.

"That...that's...Sarah..."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes..."

"...Let's go..."

The next day, each trainer quickly won their battle; nothing challenging...yet.

"Hey," said Mark, "It's Sarah's battle right now! Should we watch?"

"Okay..." said Ryan, "I guess...I still need to speak to her...if it **is** her..."

The hybrids went up and found great seats to watch the match.

"This battle," said the referee, "is between Sarah of Twinleaf Town and Danny of Littleroot Town. Begin!"

"You better watch out! I've trained my Pokemon for two years now!" He sent out a Swampert and a Sceptile.

"Wow!" said Mira, "Both of those are Hoenn starters!"

However, Sarah was silent, and simply sent out a Weaville and a Venesaur.

"Wait..." said Ryan, "**Those** don't belong to Sarah!"

The Venesaur immediately shot vines into the ground, which emerged right underneath the Swampert, whipping it and then anchoring it to the ground. The Weaville then bolted right up to it, drove a claw into its back, causing a huge cut and knocking it out, and then using it as a platform to dive right at the Sceptile. It plunged its claws into the grass-type's belly, causing the skin to freeze over and knocking it out as well.

"No..." said Danny, "This can't be happening!" He sent out a Machamp and a Blaziken. He was hoping for a type advantage, but unfortunately he wasn't totally prepared for what was coming.

The Venesaur used its vines to pick up the Machamp, and use him as a hammer to knock out the Blaziken. The Weaville again used its claws and kept swinging at them. Soon, the fighting-types were covered with blood.

"Victory goes to Sarah of Twinleaf Town!" announced the ref.

"No..." said Ryan, "That is **not **Sarah."

He then ran off. When his friends caught up with him, he was talking with his so-called friend of the past.

"Sarah...what's wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Those Pokemon you used...they aren't really yours...What about all of the others that you spent training for so long? You left them all behind, and here you are now battling using bloodthirsty ones...What happened?"

"I've changed. I now know who I am...and who you and your friends are as well. Consider yourself warned."

With that, she turned around and walked away.

"Ryan?" asked Mira.

"Yes?..."

"...We'll find out what happened to her...don't worry."

The next day, the three trainers won all of their battles again...and so did Sarah. This time, they didn't bother to watch her. At the end of the day, they went and looked at the standings.

It was the semi-finals, and there were only 4 battles left that day. The first one was Mira Vs. Mark, and the other was Ryan Vs. Sarah.

"Mark..." said Mira.

"...Don't worry...you'll be fine...you're a better trainer than me..."

Ryan was silent.

"Ryan?" said Mira, "Just go and watch our battle; we're going first today."

_An hour later..._

"This battle shall be between Mira of Viridian City, and Mark of Pallet Town. Begin!"

"Go!" yelled Mira, as she released Dewdrop and Sunrise.

"_A battle?_" said Dewdrop.

"Yes...I know, it's between Mark..."

She gasped. (Well, at least the best gasp that a Pokemon is capable of.)

"_He doesn't want to fight you...I read his mind...that's why he hasn't sent anyone out yet..._"

"What!? Mark! Send out your Pokemon!"

"Oh...right!" He sent out Vulpix and Sandslash.

"_V-vul?...VULPIX!_"

It then fainted.

"Vulpix is unable to battle," announced the ref, "Please use another Pokemon."

"What was that for!?" asked Mira.

"Uh..." He sent out Zane this time.

"_Yes! A battle!_"

He charged at Dewdrop, and bit down on her.

"ES!"

However, to get back at him, Sunrise slammed Sandslash against the wall with Leaf Blade, knocking him out. She then used another one at full power on Zane, knocking him off of the Espeon. It was a critical hit.

"Both of Mark's Pokemon are unable to battle. Please..."

Mark had his hand up. "I surrender."

"Mark...why?" said Mira.

"I'll explain later..."

"Victory goes to Mira of Viridian City."

_15 minutes later..._

"Why then"

"It's because...I don't want to interfere..."

"What?"

"You're going to the top...I don't want to get in your way...You're already an amazing trainer, and I'm still a novice who has much to learn...Mira...I love you."

Mira hugged him, "I love you too..."

"Wait," said Mark, "It's time for Ryan's battle!"

"This battle shall be between Ryan of Sandgem Town and Sarah of Twinleaf Town. Begin!"

"Sarah... I'm going to help you..." Ryan sent out Infernape and Luxray.

"I need to accomplish my mission..." Sarah sent out a Gastrodon and a Weezing.

The poison-type immediately started releasing smog onto the field; no one could see...Suddenly the ground started shaking, and Ryan's Pokemon were both obliterated by Earthquake.

Ryan returned his Pokemon and sent out Roserade and Floatzel.

"Remember them?" asked Ryan, "they battled against your Pokemon a year ago...but you abandoned your teammates...why?"

Floatzel immediately shot forward with Aqua Jet before the Weezing could release another cloud of smog; Roserade used an Energy Ball to KO Gastrodon while it was distracted by the water-type. The grass-type then used Psychic on Weezing to KO it as well.

Sarah then sent out Weaville and Venesaur. Venesaur again tried using Frenzy Plant, but Floatzel was too fast for it, and used Water Pulse; however, it had little effect. Roserade tried to use Psychic, but Weaville was too fast, and KO'd it with Ice Beam. The grass-type was down, and soon after the water-type was gone as well.

"Pitiful..." muttered Sarah.

"Victory goes to Sarah of Twinleaf Town!"

After the battle, Mira and Mark left their seats to find Ryan and his _friend_ talking again.

"Do you want to know why I abandoned everything I already had?"

"Why?...It doesn't make any sense..."

"Meet me in the forest...midnight...if you **do** want to know..."

"I'll be there..."

* * *

Now, I need to make myself clear. I shall be HORRIBLY busy this weekend, as I have several things I need to prepare for; this means that don't expect another immediate update. My next update should be some time from Sunday to Wednesday. Remember, though, I'll probably still be able to answer private messages and such...it's just that writing another chapter might take a while.  



	26. A Lost Friend

Oops...I wrote another chapter...

* * *

That night, the three trainers started heading into the forest. 

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Mira.

"Yes..." replied Ryan.

"It's just that...even though I don't even know Sarah...it seems as if she changed into someone else...not the person you used to know...it could be a..."

"I know, but it's a risk that I'm going to take...You don't need to come along if you don't..."

"No," said Mark, "We're a team, and I'm not going to abandon you now!"

"Me neither," said Mira.

They started heading into the forest; it was rather difficult to see, and their only source of light was the stars in the dark sky. There was not any path for them to take, as they were not necessarily allowed to go in there, but it was necessary to find out what happened to Sarah.

Eventually, they found an abandoned factory.

"What is this?" asked Ryan.

"I don't know," replied Mark, "but I don't like the looks of it..."

"It looks abandoned," said Mira, who was then pointing towards a truck parked nearby, "but that thing doesn't...Should we go inside?"

Ryan nodded. "Let's go..."

They all entered through the huge factory doors, which suddenly closed behind them, removing their only exit.

"Ahh..." said a rough voice, "You made it..."

"Who is it?" asked Mira. Her voice echoed.

A figure slowly emerged from the shadows. He appeared to have the head and tail of a Mighteyana, and was wearing a black uniform with a red "R" on it.

"My name is Shadow. I'm second-in-command of Team Rocket."

"What are you doing here?" yelled Ryan.

"Good question. After your friend here sent my boss to a freezing death, did you really think that **that** was the end of Team Rocket? I think not. We had a backup plan...the machine that was holding Articuno also took DNA samples from it. Our scientists were able to create a formula that would actually turn a human into an Articuno-hybrid, just as how I'm a Mighteyana-hybrid. Well, we weren't just going to give such power to any old person, would we? We were able to capture a legend...a legend that should not have existed...We captured Mew!"

"WHAT!?" the trainers cried.

A hi-tech cage containing a pink cat-like Pokemon was lowered from the ceiling.

"Yes, doesn't it seem impossible? Well, it isn't! We've actually captured Mew, and took a huge amount of its power at our disposal. Now, what would we do with it? Remember what I was saying earlier? We weren't going to give such power to any old person...it had to be someone with such amazing skill that it would be worth it...We used Mew's power to manipulate and hypnotize Shinnoh Champion Sarah! With that, we were able to inject the formula into her body, and we had the perfect slave!"

"How could you!?" yelled Ryan, "You totally messed up her mind! All of her values...qualities...beliefs...they're all gone!"

"Those were of little importance to our plan. Now, Sarah, attack!"

Suddenly an Articuno emerged through two doors on a nearby wall, and started flying around the room.

"_Prepare to meet a freezing death!_"

"What should we do?" asked Ryan

"Mark and I can handle this," said Mira, "You just watch; you're weak against ice-types, and a powerful blast might kill you!"

Mira then turned into a Flareon, and Mark turned into an Arcanine.

"Flareon?"

"Arc."

They both started using Flamethrower at once, but Articuno dodged and used Mist. Soon, the two fire-types could barely see each other, let alone their surroundings.

"ARC!..." Mira ran over and found her friend's feet frozen to the ground; she started thawing them out, while Mark fired Fire Blasts into the mist. After the fourth try, they heard a "KYOOO!"

The two started running, and barely dodged the anger-powered Blizzard attack. They then used Fire Blasts together, and they both hit. However, Sarah was pushed right into the ceiling. Cracks started appearing on it, and then Mew's cage dropped to the ground; it broke, and smoke filled the air. When it cleared, Mew was gone.

"NO!" yelled Shadow, "At least we already have its energy at home base..."

Sarah used an Ice Beam attack, and this time it actually hit Mark. He was frozen to the ground, and she started charging a full-power Blizzard.

Mira, however, ran in front of Mark. Fire was burning in her eyes, and soon her body was set aflame. The Articuno opened its beak, and snow and ice flew out of it. The Flareon opened its mouth, and an inferno of flames charged into the air. The two attacks collided in the middle of the building. One pushed the other, the other pushed back; there was a blinding flash of light. When everyone returned their gaze to their surroundings, they saw the Arcanine thawed out, and a Flareon and Articuno motionless on the ground.

"Impossible..." said Shadow. He returned Sarah to a purple Pokeball with a "M" on it. "She shall see the light of day tomorrow, but I don't know about your flaming mutt."

He then ran out of the warehouse.

_15 minutes later..._

Mark and Ryan were standing in a room at the Pokemon Center section of the Coliseum. On the table was a Flareon, and a nurse was inspecting her.

She put down her tools.

Everyone was silent.

Finally, the silence ended. The nurse said, "...I'm sorry...I'll leave now..."

When she left the room, Mark walked up to the table. He rubbed his hand through the bright yellow muzzle.

"Mira...

This isn't happening...

You're life can't be over...

You had so much to look forward to...

Mira...

I love you with all of my heart...

Please...

Don't...

Die..."

With that final word, a single tear fell onto her body. Suddenly, the room was filled with bright pink light, and Mira's body was glowing. After a few moments, the pink light slowly turned into balls, and floated into the Flareon. When they finally were all gone, Mira opened her eyes.

"Flare?..."

"Mira!" Mark was hugging her around the neck, with tears flowing from his eyes. "You were dying...I knew that it couldn't be true..."

Out of nowhere, Mew appeared in the room.

"_Time is complicated, and so is life...but it wasn't your turn in line..._"

"Mew..." said Ryan, "Is Sarah..."

"_The girl of which you speak is shrouded by power...her true self is nearly lost, but if one individual shows her everything she used to represent...maybe...just maybe...the spell shall be broken..._"

Mew then disappeared.

* * *

Okay...I went back on my word. This does NOT mean that I'm not busy; I still have things to do this weekend, which means that you probably won't see another chapter until a weekday. I just thought that I would get it out of the way this morning...I hope that I get some credit for this, rather than everyone not reading it or something...I hope that you liked that chapter...it was one of my favourites...  



	27. A Friend Found

YAY! Update!

* * *

It was finally morning, and the three trainers were gathered together in the main building; it was nearly time for the battle. 

"I'm nervous..." said Mira.

"Why?" asked Mark, "You can beat her!"

"No...it's not just that, but...this is more than simply a battle. It doesn't really matter that it's the final round right now...if I mess up...Sarah could..."

"Let's not think about that..." said Ryan.

Mira nodded.

The PA system announced, "Challengers, please report to your assigned gate."

"Okay..." Mira gulped. "I'm ready for this!"

"We'll be watching you," said Mark.

_A few moments later..._

"This is the final battle between Sarah of Twinleaf Town and Mira of Viridian City. The winner shall become this year's tournament champion. This shall be a 6-on-6 double battle round. Begin!"

"Go!" Mira released Saroc and Sunrise; her two first teammates.

"Hmph..." said Sarah as she released her Muk and Weaville, "You should be dead right now."

"No, it wasn't my time."

"Well, it's time for your Pokemon!"

Weaville charged forward, ready to use an Ice Fang on Mira's sister, but Saroc made impact with Close Combat, slamming both of them into the wall. The Pidgeot flew out of the smoke, leaving a motionless Weaville covered with ground-up rock.

Sarah growled as she returned her dark-type, and sent out a Scizor.

"You want to know how I did that? It's because I've trained my Pokemon with love and care...remember? You did it as well."

"That's in my past now...love and compassion are useless emotions!"

Scizor sliced up the Leafeon with X-Scissor, leaving her barely standing.

"Sunrise!"

"I told you that they were useless." However, while she said that, Saroc already sped right through Muk with Aerial Ace.

"No they're not! You're being blinded right now...you need to remember who you are, and what you really represent."

"I represent power!" She sent out a Weezing.

"No, they're not." She sent out Dewdrop.

"_I sense tainted aura..._"

"Well, I sense a distraction coming..." said Sarah.

However, before the signature smog to come, the Espeon use Psychic to swing the Weezing into the Scizor. The Weezing soon recovered, though, and used Sludge Bomb on Saroc's wings. (Sound familiar?) Soon it was stuck on the ground, and badly beaten by Scizor's Iron Head. Mira sent out a certain Ninetales.

"Yes...roasted bug please..." He released a huge star of flame, setting the Scizor on fire. Mira's sister then used Psychic to slam it into the Weezing as well, knocking both of them out.

"What about honour?" asked Mira, "Integrity? All of the values that you followed? What about friends?"

"I don't have any, nor do I need any!"

"Everyone needs friends...you still have one, and he wants you back. Are you going to come back?"

She sent out her Venesaur and Alakazam. "No...I'm not coming back..."

"What about your teammates? You left them behind...abandoned them...but they still want you back as well!"

"_Mira,_" said Dewdrop, "_I could try to reason with her mentally..._"

"No...don't try..."

The Alakazam then started using Psychic around Nathan's neck, trying to choke him. However, Dewdrop used this as a distraction to use Psychic on Venesaur, swinging him into Alakzam again. Unfortunately, the Alakazam saw it coming...he used a Psychic on Venesaur as well to push him into the wall, and shoot a Shadow Ball at Dewdrop, who then fainted.

Mira this time sent out Lapras.

Nathan then used a Fire Blast on Venesaur, setting him aflame and knocking him out.

"The battle has now been narrowed down to a 2-on-1 competition. Who shall break through the final barrier?"

"Yes..." mumbled Mira to herself..."Sarah! Don't forget who you really are...everyone still needs you..."

"No...the only one who needs me is Shadow..."

"No, he's using you! You're just a tool to him...please...come back..."

"I...I...Alakazam use Focus Blast!"

He release a huge ball of energy, which Lapras narrowly dodged. She then countered with an Ice Beam. However, he somehow deflected it, sending it towards Nathan.

"_Ice, eh?_" He then used Overheat, pushing the Ice Beam back towards Alakazam again! With two opposites against him, he was pushed back into the wall. Lapras then froze his limbs, preventing him from using any major attacks.

"Finish him..." said Sarah.

"No..."

"Why not?"

"That's not right...you need to fight with honour all of the time...even when you lose, you must not forget about respect...virtues are important, you know?...He doesn't deserve to die, doe he?"

Sarah had a shocked look on her face. Yet it could have been realization...her eyes appeared to be glowing...not with anger though...

"...You win..." With those final words, she dropped down to her knees and fainted.

"Victory goes to Mira of Viridian City," announced the referee, "I am proud to now award her with the title of our Tournament Champion! Congratulations!"

Everyone was cheering for Mira. _I can't believe it...I won...no, not just that, but I think I saved Sarah...did I?...yes, I did..._

After the battle, the three trainers were sitting around Sarah in their room. She was still unconscious, and they had to carry her there. Finally, she opened her eyes.

"Sarah?" asked Ryan.

"Ryan? Is that you?"

"Yes, it is." He was then being crushed by a huge hug. Tears were flowing from Sarah's eyes.

"I can't believe you're here! I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry...I don't deserve seeing you again...I deserve to be dead right now..."

"No," said Mira, "Why would you ever deserve that?"

"Don't pretend you don't know...I can't believe all of the things that I've become, and that I'm a monster..."

"You're not a monster..." said Ryan, "I don't make friends with them, and we're friends, right?"

Sarah nodded. "But you make it all seem like it's not a big deal. It **is** a big deal! I was being controlled, and it was like the true me was blinded from everything...I had no idea what was going on until Mira broke that spell...then I saw everything...all of those experiences entered my mind...I couldn't believe what I did...and to my best friend as well..."

"No...it's okay," said Ryan, "What's done is done, and we should just keep looking towards the future...and in it I see you."

Sarah stopped crying. "Ryan...I...I...I love you..."

"I love you too...I wish that I could have told you that before I left, but you were so busy..."

"Well, Team Rocket's done for, right?" said Mira.

"No..." said Sarah was a look of realization on her face, "I remember now...they were going to use me and the power they got from Mew to capture all of the legendaries!"

"WHAT!?" they all yelled.

"It's true...they're probably targeting the birds first, and then going for bigger prizes...I can't believe I was nearly a part of that..."

"Don't worry..." said Mira, "We'll stop them...if you help us."

"Of course...anything to make up for my sins..."

Suddenly, they heard a knocking on their door.

"Is Mira in there?"

"I'm here," she replied, opening the door.

In front of her was a figure in the same type of blue uniform that they saw before the tournament even began.

"Hello," said the man, "I'm with the Indigo League. Since you won the tournament, it's required that you go battle the Elite Four."

"Okay...When do I leave?"

"Tomorrow...meet at the main coliseum at 9:00, where we'll take you to the **real** Indigo League by helicopter."

"Alright...I'll be there..."

When he finally left Mira sat down on her bed.

"I finally made it this far...but...I won't be able to help..."

"It's okay..." said Sarah, "You've helped me, and now it's my turn to help you...We'll take care of Team Rocket; you just focus on your battles."

"Okay..."

The three trainers told Sarah about themselves, and their many life-threatening adventures. Eventually they fell asleep...and then it was morning.

They were all standing in the main building.

"Where are you heading first?" asked Mira.

"Probably One Island," replied Sarah, "They're going to start searching for the legendary birds first, and Moltres is believed to be residing there...Zapdos is too strong, as it would just fry any machines they use...at least with a fire-type they have a bit of a chance..."

"Okay...it's time for me to go now..."

They all hugged each other and said their goodbyes. However, when Mira was hugging Mark, he kissed her on the lips. Afterwards, he said, "I'll be waiting."

"Don't worry," said Mira, "I'll be back."

* * *

Don't expect any immediate updates for a while, as I**do** have a couple of tests coming up...I already studied though...Anyways, I hope you liked that chapter. When I have time to update, the stories shall be cycling between Mira, and the others' quest to rescue the legendaries. However...I got this totally awesome plot idea. Unfortunately, it is NOT related to this trilogy...this means that eventually I'm going to conduct an experiment; if people like the fan-fic, I continue. If not, I don't complete it. If anyone wants to give me suggestions, PM me or write a review asking for my idea, and I'll give you a little peek of what I have planned...if people don't like it, I won't do it...(I like it though...) 


	28. Are you ready?

Tough Love shall continue!

* * *

Mira stepped into the helicopter. It was rather roomy and comfortable inside.

She spoke up to the pilot. "Hey, where is the Elite Four anyways?"

Without looking at her, he replied, "Indigo Plateau...confidential location only given to those who are given the chance to challenge them."

"Well, let's get going!"

The propellers started spinning, dust filled the air, but soon they were high above it. Mira looked down...her friends...off to battle evil...why couldn't she do the same?..._No, everyone expects me to compete and win, so I **will** win..._

"Okay, first of all," said Mark, "HOW DO WE GET OUT OF HERE!? I **don't** want to go back the way we came..."

"Well, we don't have much choice," replied Sarah, "Unless..."

"No," said Ryan, "I know what you're thinking...you're too injured for the flight, and who knows what will happen when you change into Articuno, even after you returned to normal...I'll do it."

"Are you sure?" his friends asked.

"Yes...now get into the Pokeballs..."

Once they had taken their clothes off and changed into Pokemon, Ryan returned them to their Pokeballs, put everything in a bag, and flew off.

The winds flowed through his wings, almost as if he was not flying at all. With each beat, he flew faster towards Vermillion City. He then started reflecting on everything that had happened in his life so far...him meeting Mark and Mira...them becoming Pokemon hybrids...wait..._What happened when I turned into a Pokemon? _He looked farther into his memory, but everything came up blank..._I...don't remember...it'll come back to me eventually...I'm sure that it will..._

_An hour later..._

The helicopter landed at Indigo Plateau, and Mira stepped out. She was amazed by the view...it was styled similar to the Indigo League, but even more majestic. The statues were larger and even more detailed, the buildings were decorated and painted marvellous colours, and the grass was neat and immaculate. She had finally arrived...

Slowly a woman wearing a blue uniform stepped out of the building's large doors and approached Mira.

"Hello, welcome to the Indigo League. My name is Hannah, and I shall be your guide...for now anyways...after you start your challenge, there's no leaving...you have to continue on and on...take this as well." She handed Mira a bag full of Hyper Potions and Full Restores. "You'll probably need it...Let's go inside."

As they were walking towards the building, she started talking again. "You know, no one has beaten the Elite Four in the past 10 years...that means that our Kanto Champion has been victorious and defended her title for 10 exhausting battles..."

"Wait, are you allowed to tell me who she is? I know that at one point it was my father's friend, Gary."

Hannah smiled. "Yes, but at that time they were more rivals than friends...anyways, you're correct; he was Champion until he resigned to study Pokemon as a scientist...well, no, I can't tell you...but...she told me that she knows your parents..."

Mira stopped and thought..._Who could it be?...One of my relatives...my father's friends...I know that although about half of them were girls, practically none of them were trainers..._

Suddenly, Hannah started talking again. "Well, you can wait in the main lobby until you're ready...you can start whenever you want. I'll open the doors for you, but remember...once you enter, there's no turning back...you must continue until all of your Pokemon are unable to battle..."

Mira sat down and relaxed. "I have reached this far...I'm not giving up now..."

Ryan and the rest of the gang were unloading from the high-speed ferry; they had just arrived at One Island.

"Where to now?" asked Ryan.

"Hmm..." Sarah thought for a while... "I know that Team rocket used to have bases on random islands, but...I don't know if they're still being used...also, they'll definitely be in Mt. Ember...that's where we should be heading..."

They started walking forward, but Ryan stayed where he was. "Sarah?"

"Yes?"

"What about...your team?"

Sarah paused. "Some were killed when Team Rocket came for me...I don't remember who's left...anyways, the guilt of abandoning them would kill me...I need to become more stable first...after all, I still have this team of Dark, Poison, and Ghost types...they were trained to battle...they should definitely survive..."

They arrived at the beach, and then finally realized something...

"AHHH!!!" yelled Mark, "WE DON'T HAVE MIRA'S LAPRAS HERE! HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GET OVER THE STUPID WATER!?"

"Mark...I have Floatzel."

"...Floatzel is the size of one of us...how do you expect us to all ride on him?"

Ryan pictured in his mind an image...of his Floatzel sinking...

"Okay, you're right...I know!"

Ryan then ran to one of the stores nearby, and came out with a life boat.

He put it in the water, and got on. "Everyone in! Floatzel can push us!"

When they finally reached Mt. Ember, they unloaded, put the boat on the grass, unreachable by the water, and then walked up the stone steps.

"Are they here?" asked Mark.

"I'm not sure..." said Sarah, "but...I feel something...let's keep going forward."

When they finished winding through all of the pathways, they reached the base of the summit..and heard a "KYOOOOOOOOO!"

It was almost as if the earth was rumbling...

"THEY'RE HERE!" yelled Sarah.

They all charged forward, and saw Moltres being held in another machine, similar to the one that was in the Seafoam Islands. However, instead of a crowd of Team Rocket goons, there was only one...that was all that was needed. 

"SHADOW!" yelled Ryan.

The Mighteyana morph turned around. "Ahh, I'm rather surprised that you made it...and so did your little friend here...it seems as if she broke free from Mew's curse..."

"Mew didn't lay that curse, it was **you!**"

"True, yet it was Mew's power...I just so happened to be the one controlling it. Nonetheless, let's get started!"

At that same moment, Mira was reflecting on her life so far...being a Flareon Hybrid, life was not as simple as it could be. Life was even more complicated with Team Rocket attacking all of the time, and then there was Mark...She couldn't let anything happen to him, nor vice versa...their bond...it was strong...perhaps too strong...mating season was dangerous...it goes on for more than a month...

Hannah walked up to her. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, I am..."

* * *

Now, I've been busy (as usual) so again don't expect an update for at least 3 days or so. Anyways, would you like a "switch back and forth" format like I did here, or a straight chapter? Also, thank you to everyone who gave me ideas the past few weeks; I'm finally going to be able to start using some! I hope you enjoyed the long-anticipated chapter, and that people will actually read this fan-fic. 


	29. You Just Can't Win

I dedicate this extra long chapter to swack16...

* * *

Mira followed Hannah to a couple of golden doors. Engraved on them were Pokeballs, and they were parallel to the building's entrance. Hannah then took out a small key from her blue uniform, and inserted it into the wall. Mira was rather surprised; the hole had a well concealed flap covering it, making it rather difficult to notice. When she turned the silver key, the doors gradually slid open. Finally Mira questioned, "What's with all of the security here?" 

Hannah turned around. "After what happened in Shinnoh, we're taking all possible precautions. The safety of the Elite Four, the challengers, and their Pokemon are our main concern. Nothing gets in, but nothing gets out either. This means that once you enter, you must keep on battling until you run out of usable Pokemon. The Elite Four will then help you exit. Thus, I'm not taking this key out yet, as I'm going to need to lock the doors anyways. Now, any last questions or concerns before your challenge?"

Mira thought for a while..."No, I'm ready."

"Are you completely sure?"

"Yes..."

"Well, our Champion **has** been undefeated...in fact, most can't make it past the first Elite Four member...I just wanted to make sure."

"Thanks, but...seriously, I **am** ready."

"Alright..."

Mira was just about to walk through, but stopped. "Hannah..."

"Yes?"

"Thank you...this journey wasn't the easiest for me..."

"Don't worry...just the fact that you made it this far is a major accomplishment for most."

Mira nodded. "Again...thank you..."

"Don't mention it...now do you mind starting? I'd prefer to get this door closed as quick as possible..."

"No problem." Mira took a deep breath and marched inside.

It was rather dark, and most of the light was coming from the gradually shrinking opening through which we came. When the heavy, gold door slammed shut, lights slowly started illuminating from the walls, filling the hall with light. Mira marched forward, each step echoing down the seemingly endless hallway. She reached an elevator, and stood as it slowly lifted her upward; the next section wasn't much higher, but there was no other way to reach the platform.

_I guess that there I can't go back now either...based on how the elevator looks, it seems to be one-way..._

Mira marched forward, and finally reached two silver doors. They opened, revealing a battlefield, with a women standing on the opposite end. The young trainer walked through, and the doors behind her slammed shut. Her attention then drifted to her opponent. She had reddish-orange hair, and wore a black dress. On her face were a pair of rather stylish glasses. She then noticed something; surrounding the field were icicles. Mira did not notice this right away; after all, her normal body temperature was higher than a normal humans. She was not a normal human.

"Hello there. I've been expecting you. I am Lorelei, number one of Kanto's Elite Four. If I am correct, you are Mira, daughter of the Viridian City Gym Leader."

Mira nodded.

"Yes, I met him when he was maybe just a few months older than you...that was a long time ago...and he has greatly improved. I sensed potential in him...but...yours seems to have already flourished. Now, are you ready for battle?"

Mira nodded again, and Lorelei sent out a Lapras.

"Sunrise, let's start together!" The Leafeon then emerged on the field.

"_Yes...two sisters beginning a long journey...reminds me of when we first began your quest for the gym badges..._" She then shot a glowing ball of energy at the water/ice-type, which burned against its blue skin.

"You've trained well," complemented the Elite Four member, "but this battle has just begun! Ice Beam!"

Blue light then started appearing in the Lapras's open mouth.

"You ready, sis?"

"Leaf!"

"Just as we've planned...let the battle begin!"

* * *

"It's such a pity that such a potential has to go to waste..." 

"What do you mean?" asked Ryan, already annoyed with what has happened so far.

"Not you, idiot, I'm talking to your girlfriend."

"Me?" asked Sarah.

"Yes, you. It **is** sad...you had so much power...you could have been a key part to our plan..."

"Your PLAN!?"

"Yes...what is it to you?"

"You completely ruined my life, killed most of my Pokemon, and never even told me your stupid plan that you've been working so hard to achieve! WHAT IS IT!?"

"I see...you're very emotionally unstable right now..."

"EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE!? I'LL SHOW YOU EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE!"

Sarah then started glowing with blue light, and growing in size. Eventually, her body was of similar shape to the legendary bird that was still being held captive. Articuno had returned. She let out a melodic yet threatening "KYOOOOO!" that echoed throughout the mountaintop. However, suddenly another set of metal arms shot out from the machine that was holding Moltres captive. They grabbed onto Sarah, and she struggled to escape. The metal was too sturdy...she was unsuccessful...

"There..." said Shadow, "Now I have two birds. Just one more to go...the Power Plant..."

"You're not going to get away with this!" yelled Mark.

"No," said Ryan, "He's **my** problem, not yours."

"We're in this together to the very end."

"No...you still have Mira."

"What does that mean?"

"She loves you, and you love her...if anything happened to you, it would shatter her heart...possibly to the point beyond recovery..."

"You still have Sarah as well!"

"Yes, but...if I don't do anything now...I might not later on...This is my problem...stay and watch, but it's my fight!"

"Ahh, so the little boy is finally standing up to me."

"Yes, I am!"

"Oh, so did you already forget? No, I ruined your memory! Of course you forgot!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I erased your memory after your transformation...well, not much of it...just the memories of that particular day..."

"YOU ERASED MY MEMORY!?"

"Were you listening to **anything** that I was saying!? OF COURSE I DID!"

Silence...

"Well," began Shadow, "I could give then back to you..."

Ryan opened his mouth as if to say something, but Shadow began again.

"But...they're rather painful...discouraging...you were better without them..."

"Memories are memories, and what happened is what happened. In other words, I DON'T CARE IF THEY'RE PAINFUL! THEY'RE MY MEMORIES AND I WANT THEM **BACK**!"

"Maybe...nah, you don't deserve them..."

"Yes I do, and I'll prove it!"

Ryan then charged forward, ready to punch Shadow in the mouth, when suddenly the fist was held in the furry hand/paw of the Pokemorph. That was when his memories came back to him...

"Wait...YOU WERE THE ONE WHO WIPED MY MEMORY! THE ONE WHO ATTACKED SAFFRON CITY AND ITS GYM! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO DID **THIS **TO ME!"

"You remember now?" Shadow asked, showing only a hint of surprise.

"Yes, and that block of yours was a trigger for my memory!"

Shadow then started grinning. "Oh well...I thought that I created a way to wipe out particular memories, but memories don't really disappear. Instead, the connections and links to them are cut off...but if they're rebuilt...the memories can be accessed again!"

* * *

The Jynx crashed to the ground, unconscious and rather burnt, with a Ninetales standing not far away. 

"_Your lips are deadly, yet my teeth are deadlier!"_

Mira smiled. She won the first challenge, thanks to her grandfather. He obliterated all of Lorelei's Pokemon, even if they were part water-type. Sunrise got tired after a while...Nathan had years of experience, and being a Ninetales, which are believed to be capable of living up to 1000 years, would probably have several hundred more years left for this "hobby".

Lorelei collapsed to her knees. "Finally I lost...back to Four Island for me...I need a vacation again..."

"Four Island?" asked Mira.

The Elite Four member got back up onto her feet again. "Yes, Four Island. That's actually where I live."

"Hmm...maybe I'll come visit some time."

"Oh, of course! There are regular ferries to all of the Sevii Islands. It doesn't matter if you beat the Champion; I would always love to battle you again. However, you **do** have a chance of winning the challenge; I just have this feeling inside of me...you know...I have confidence in you..."

Mira smiled.

"Now go forward...Bruno awaits you...His appearance is as bold as his Pokemon..." The silver doors behind Lorelei started opening. Mira sighed. _One down...4 to go..._She slowly walked through. Again the doors shut, and then the wall lights became even brighter to illuminate the rest of the room. She walked forward and used another glowing elevator. At the end of the hallway she saw light emitting from another opening. Mira guessed that if ever hallway was like this, then the Indigo League building had to be extremely long..._Now where would there be room for a place like that?..._When she walked through the doors, they slammed shut behind her. On the other side of the field was a muscular man with dark black hair. _That must be Bruno..._

"Welcome to my domain..."

Mira looked around, and saw rock formations sprouting from the ground.

"Finally the daughter of Ash has come to battle...You know, he never made it **this** far when he was your age..."

"Really?"

"Yes, it took him awhile to discover his **true** potential."

Mira nodded.

"Are you ready to battle?"

"Of course. I'm always ready!"

Bruno drew his first Pokeball.

* * *

"Well," said Ryan, "Why don't you access **your** memories and tell me what your plan is?" 

Shadow grinned. "World domination, of course! What else!? The world will fall at my feet...my true dream..."

"What do the legendary birds have to do with this?"

"Well, I thought that if I could make hybrid of them...**many** hybrids of them...and then brainwash them into perfect soldiers...we might have a chance..."

"YOU WERE JUST USING SARAH AS A TOOL!?"

"Basically, yes I was...anyways, I am considering using shadow **hybrids**, similar to Cipher's Shadow Pokemon...they tried turning Lugia into one that could not be purified, but their code was wrong...if I can crack that code, I **WILL** create the perfect Shadow Pokemon! What they were trying to accomplish...accomplished by me, plus more!"

"You will not get away with this!"

"You might even be the first one to receive this great power! Hold still now..." Shadow then released a widely-spread Dark Pulse. It shot at an amazing speed, but Ryan perfectly time a jump that not only sent him farther away from the evil mastermind, but completely evaded the attack. During the jump, Ryan transformed into a Dragonite, the remnants of his clothes crashing to the ground. Anyways, he had more in his backpack, which was with Mark, still watching their anticipated fight.

Shadow actually frowned. "You're way out of your league; you've more than met your match."

"I guess you're slowing down, old man. Can't hit what you can't catch."

Shadow started grinning again...the evil grin that is usually on the furry face of his. "Soon the whole world will know the genius of my plan."

Ryan charged forward with a Dragon Claw. "I will find a way to stop you any way I can."

Shadow merely jumped over him, at the same time hitting him with a Shadow Claw. "You're such a goody-two-shoes, it's more fun being bad."

However, Ryan recovered as if he was never attacked. "No one's gonna side with you, you're stark raving mad!"

"Oh yeah, just ask your girlfriend."

Ryan was getting more frustrated. "That's all in the past."

"Listen to me, little boy, nice guys finish last!"

Ryan charged forward with a Dragon Claw, but in a direction that he anticipated Shadow to move to next. It worked.

Ryan was grinning now. "Oh no! You just can't win!"

Shadow was getting frustrated. "You're really not that strong."

"Time to pay for all your sins."

"You've got it all wrong. You just can't win!"

"I'm gonna shut you down!" Yelled Ryan.

Shadow was getting into a more aggressive battle position. "Your chances are slim!"  
"No more fooling around!" yelled Ryan, who was also getting into a similar battle position.

Both of them opened their mouths.

"Let the battle begin!  
You just can't win!"

* * *

I'm sorry for the wait. I wanted to write another chapter during my school's mid-term break, but I needed my laptop to get fixed. (Long story, which I won't get into...) Well, now break's over, and I wrote this super-long chapter! My longest yet, with 2007 words, excluding the author's notes! (Hmm...year number...what a coincidence...) Also, the reason I dedicated this chapter to swack16 is that he gave me the idea of using the lyrics to the song "Just Can't Win" from the Pokemon Live! Musical. Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed this long anticipated for yet delayed chapter. 


	30. Two More Down

Finally, the next chapter.

* * *

Dewdrop's tail swished as she tilted her body from side to side, controlling her psychic powers. In her grasps was a Machamp, of course super-powerful, but defenceless against the Espeon. It was Bruno's last Pokemon; Mira's sister quickly wiped out everyone on his team with minimal effort. Dewdrop finally leaned her head backwards, and the Machamp went higher, nearly smashing into the ceiling. However, just before impact, she pushed her head back forward again, and he fell. The speed of his descent pushed the air out of him; just before he was going to hit the floor, she created a field of psychic energy just below the fighting-type, allowing him to land nicely. However, he had already fainted. Bruno grabbed the Pokeball, returning his comrade. For once, he was actually smiling. 

"Your fighting style is pretty flawless. I'm glad that you made it past me, but..." His grin slowly faded away. "Your next opponent is Agatha."

"Agatha?" questioned Mira.

"Yes, have you heard of her?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head.

"She uses ghost-types, and has...a certain resentment to Prof. Oak..."

"Prof. Oak? He's so nice; how could anyone hate him?"

"They go long back...how much she tells you...will probably be based on whether or not you put up a good fight; she will not fall easily, and her Pokemon are much more strategic than mine."

Mira nodded, although her Pokemon were very strategic as well.

"Please proceed to Elite Four Member #3."

As Mira started heading forwards, she heard Bruno say softly, "Perhaps...our paths might cross again..."

Once again, the huge, industrial-strength doors shut behind her. It was the same layout, with the lights lining the floor, and the platform elevator, but...this time...it felt different. It almost had a different feel to it...She entered the third room. The battlefield, was surrounded by tombstones...probably decorations, but perhaps...Mira sniffed the air. _No, I don't smell the scent of rotting bodies. I should be less paranoid; after all, I **did** make it this far. This is already an accomplishment on its own._

Standing on the other side of the field was a short, old lady, with gray hair, yet a rather menacing look. She held a staff in her hand, and wore a purple dress.

Mira just stared...silence...until...

"What, aren't you going to say anything?"

Mira was rather surprised. "Usually the Elite Four Member greets the challenger...that's what happened"

She was cut off.

"Yes, that is what happens, but I don't find any challengers worthy of battling me. That's why I never greet them."

Mira was slightly shocked by that response.

"Let me guess, Prof.Oak gave you the Pokedex to start silly _research_ for him, right?"

Mira nodded, then just realizing that she never uses the Pokedex anyways. _Oops!_

"Well, **every single challenger** is from that old man. In fact, I don't get many challengers anyways; they are usually beaten by Bruno, but...everyone who challenged me...lost...a painful battle. **Nobody** has won a battle against me since our current Champion; even so, she is a one-of-a-kind trainer."

"What do you have against Prof.Oak?"

"We used to travel together, but...then he just started silly research...no, stupid research...he gave up training, and he gave up...Now all he cares about is that blasted Pokedex!"

"If I win," requested Mira, "I want you to tell me the rest of the story."

"Fine! It doesn't matter anyways, because I know that you won't win!" She released a Haunter.

"We'll see about that!" Mira released Dewdrop.

"Be careful, your psychic attacks will work nicely, but dodge Haunter's attacks at all costs."

"Hmm, a smart strategy; too bad it won't work. Haunter, Shadow Punch!"

The one thought raced through Mira's mind. _Shadow Punch can't be dodged!_

"Create a Psychic energy field, and try forcing it back!"

The Espeon braced herself and then its eyes started glowing. Just as the attack was about to hit, it seemed to be caught in an invisible force. The only traces of an attack were a few disappearing and reappearing strands of mulit-coloured light.

"Push!" cried Mira.

Agatha grinned. "Impressive, yet not good enough. Go in for a Faint Attack."

Haunter started charging towards Dewdrop. Mira could not believe it; she was already losing. However, her sister devised a plan. Just as Haunter reappeared behind her, she jumped to the side, weakening the Psychic barrier. The Shadow Punch attack was then to strong, and pushed forward right into Haunter. The Psychic energy combined with the intensity of the ghost-type attack slammed it into a wall. Due to the continuous pressure of the attack, and the mystic power of the Psychic energy, it could not disappear through the wall. Soon the combo attack dissipated, and Haunter floated to the ground unconscious.

Agatha was shocked; not angry like she would normally be, but shocked. "H-how is that possible!? Great Mew, what had happened? I...I...that was impressive, Mira. I don't want to say this, but...if you stay for a while and talk with me...I surrender."

"But...are you sure?"

"...No, I'm not sure, but it is the right thing. I want to end this battle on a good note; I **want** you to win this Elite Four Challenge...That combo...it was ingenious...**that** was what battling was about. I learned something from that attack, and it totally made me rethink my previous battles...I haven't been fighting with honour and spirit. Mira...aren't you the daughter of Ash Ketchum?"

"Yes...how come so many people know that?"

Silence.

"Hopefully, you will find out soon enough. Anyways, you're a very impressive fighter; your father would have been proud to see that battle. Now, another reason why I surrendered is that you need to face Lance next; he...he is harder than the first three of us combined...I also made a deal with you; do you want to hear my story?"

Mira nodded.

"Alright, well...Sammy and I used to be very good friends...we travelled with each other for the longest time...but...Sammy wanted to take a break, and we went our separate ways for a couple of years...he got into Pokemon research. Eventually, I came back to visit him, but he no longer wanted to travel and train. He was completely obsessed with his research. He gave up everything...he gave up training...his Pokemon...and...me..."

Mira thought that she saw a small tear drop from Agatha's eye, but it might have just been an illusion, because she was back to her normal self again.

"Alright, be prepared for this next battle. Normally, I would have obliterated you, but you need to win this challenge."

"Why do people keep saying that?"

"The Champion will explain it...if you beat her. In other words, continue to Lance, the Dragon Master."

The doors slid open, and Mira walked forward. As the doors shut behind her, Agatha was deep in thought.

_Was that the right thing to do?...She needs to learn...but not from the first 3...Lance needs to teach her, and the Champion too...Hopefully, this battle we had strengthened her instead of weakening her...Mira...be careful..._

* * *

There are clues in this chapter that lead not only to the next one, but to what I hope the story is to become. Now, I didn't include Ryan's battle yet; I decided not to make it a final battle...or should I? I have plans for the rest of the story, but I need a criminal mastermind; Shadow would be perfect for that job. Anyways, please feel free to voice your opinion about that. The next chapter will be dedicated to someone, and so will the one with Mira's battle with the Champion. If you've been paying attention to how this story's been going, everyone should already know who it is. Well, I'll be busy this weekend, and won't be able to update. Don't think that I've ever given up, because even when I'm not writing, I'm still thinking about the story! 


	31. The Dragon Master

This chapter is dedicated to Kelfka VI.

* * *

Mira marched forward, and heard the metal doors slam shut behind her. Suddenly, the halls were illuminated by lights that lined the walls. However, although it was similar to all of the other halls, there was something different: a faint glowing blue light..._Strange..._She walked...no, ran towards it. To her surprise, it was just another silly elevator. The only difference about it was that it had a strange design bordering it. As she stepped on it, it slowly rose...probably higher than the other ones. When the platform reached its destination, the blue light pattern on the elevator branched forward down the new hall. It seemed as though a similar but blank design lined the halls, and by the elevator connecting with it, the light spread down those patterns as well.

Mira continued walking forward. _Amazing..._However, she was even more amazed at what met her at the end of the hall. Instead of the normal silver-coloured metal door with the traditional Pokeball design, it was a glowing blue design; the same mystic light that illuminated the section of the building that Mira was stand in. The design seemed to be forming a picture...but what?..._Hmm...wings...could be a bird, but...no, that's it! It's a dragon!_

However, it was then that Mira noticed another difference from before. Every time she reached a door, it opened for her, but this one remained shut. Mira continued staring at it...but it did not make any difference. _That was a waste of time..._

"Alright," said Mira, "Will you open up now?"

The door remained closed.

"Open?..."

Nothing.

"WILL YOU JUST OPEN!?"

Still nothing...

"STUPID DOOR!" yelled Mira, as she slammed the door with her fist. However, it did not seem to hurt...the door then started glowing brighter, and soon all the other parts of it, even the ones that were no part of the pattern, started glowing as well. Mira shielded her eyes from the light, as the door slowly slid open. Mira walked through, and felt the idiotic door close behind her; to her surprise, it stopped glowing.

Mira looked around her...pretty basic...nothing outrageously special like the previous rooms, but it gave her a warm sensation...as if she had been here before...

Mira's eyes widened. The room had the same sort of layout as her father's gym, except more majestically designed. There were two doors on the side, of course of higher quality, and the room was well-spaced. The only differences were the doors at the front and back of the gym, the richly decorated ledges that lined the walls, the more artistic floor, and the man at the other end. He had spiked, red hair, and wore a black cape covering a black suit.

"Hello, Mira."

"You're Lance, right?"

"Of course, just as you are daughter of Ash Ketchum."

Silence...

"You know more than you're telling me, right?" asked Mira.

Lance grinned. "Yes...that **is **correct...and so does the Champion...the Champion knows more about you than I, but I shall still provide you with some important information. Have you heard of Destiny Stones?"

Mira obviously appeared shocked. That was what her parents wore around their necks that allowed them to transform.

"Of course you do. I know very much about them; after all, I **was** the one who explained morphing with them to your father."

"Wait a sec..."

"You are also the only person who was gifted naturally, and can morph without a Destiny Stone."

"How do you know all of this!?"

Lance reached under his shirt, and pulled out a stone on a chain. It glowed a magnificent colour: a combination of rich purple and royal blue. "We are not all that different..."

Mira stared, open-mouthed.

"Yes, I am a morph too...there are still so many things that you need to know, but that is left up to the Champion."

"Like what, and who is the Champion anyways?"

"The legendaries, the future of the world, and also...the Champion knows your parents. She embarked her journey at your age as well, and showed much promise; the same promise I see when I look at you. However, before you confront the Messenger, you have one final challenge."

The two side doors slowly slid open.

"I, Lance, the Dragon Master, challenge Mira Ketchum to a one-on-one fight of honour and courage."

"I accept your challenge."

Lance stared walking towards the door on his right. "Change...we shall begin immediately as you are ready."

Mira went inside, and slowly removed her clothing. _Messenger...what did he mean by that?_

Red fur slowly grew across Mira's body, and her brown hair became denser and turned into bright yellow fur. Her ears lengthened, and a flowing tail emerged. Mira felt her nose and mouth push out as she fell to all fours.

"Flareon."

She walked out of the changing room, and did the best to restrain herself from whimpering in fear. On the battle field was a massive dragon with blue scales and powerful wings. A Salamance. Being a Pokemon as well, Mira was perhaps only a tenth or twentieth of her opponent's size.

"_Are you ready?"_ Lance growled.

"_I have to be..._"

White light started forming in its mouth. Mira knew what was coming, and quickly evacuated the area. A Hyper Beam attack hit the ground, but did not leave a dent. Mira realized why the room felt so special; it was made out of invincible material that could not be destroyed even by a dragon's rage. Mira quickly use a Flamethrower, but it barely had any effect on the Salamance. Lance then looked towards Mira, and prepared another Hyper Beam.

_Let's try this again..._

Mira dodged, but this time slid under his belly. She opened her mouth and released a massive Overheat attack. Lance was shop up into the air, and the Flareon quickly rolled away before she turned into a pancake. The Salamance hit the ground, which luckily did not shatter, and was slightly stunned. Mira then lunged on him, and bit down on its neck. She felt her mouth grow warmer as she added fire power to it the attack. Soon she could feel blood rushing into her mouth.

Lance cried in pain, and swung around his neck until she flew off into the wall. Her body crashed against its hard surface, and her body fell limp onto the ground.

"Get up," growled Lance.

The Flareon struggled to her feet. That was a strong hit, but she was not going to give in yet. Lance prepared a Hyper Beam, and Mira dodged. She used a Fire Blast this time, and she thought that she actually saw the Salamance flinch. _I might have been wrong..._

Mira could not risk another risky attack like before, but then Lance flying towards her. Mira ran as fast as she could, trying to make the most intricate path possible that the dragon had to follow. However, he was still gaining on her. Knowing that it was useless to try escaping, she turned around and looked directly at Lance, releasing an Overheat attack. She could see that it was slowly pushing him back, but she didn't know how long it would last. By the time he was nearly at the other side of the field, Mira could feel her power diminishing. Suddenly, her stream of fire faltered, and Lance shot right through the flames.

To Mira, it felt like time just slowed down. She could try dodging, but she wouldn't have enough power to survive one of these attacks later. Her fire power was already too weak to hold him up again. Mira braced herself. _There's only one thing that I can do..._

Mira lunged forward at Lance. She jumped higher and farther than she ever had before. Just before impact, her body started glowing, and when she hit, the gym filled with light. Blind, she fell to the ground. After what seemed to be days or even weeks, she opened her eyes. In front of her was Lance, unconscious. _Was that a Last Resort attack?..._

She could see the Salamance stirring. He got up, and then bowed in front of Mira.

"_You are victorious...I thought that the Champion was really something, but nothing compared to this...no Pokemon could have fought with this much passion, and to think that you are actually human...congratulations...It is time to face the Chamion...the blue lights in the hallways are the same that are emitted into Pokeballs inside of rejuvenation machines..._"

"_Thank you, Lance._"

"_No, it was my pleasure to battle with you, now get changed first, and we'll see if you have any more questions._"

Mira nodded, and went back to the changing room. When she came back out again, she was human, but her hair was messier than it normally was, and it seemed as though she had a couple of cuts and bruises spread around her body.

"Don't worry," said Lance, "They should be healed on your way to the Champion."

"Now, who is the Champion?"

"Even if I told you her name, you would not have met her before."

"Alright, then who's the Messenger?"

"...The Champion **is** the Messenger...she has important information to carry to you...from the Gods of our world, but...it will probably be a tough battle..."

"Okay, thank you for the information...I'll start going now."

Mira started walking towards the exit. The dragon-designed door opened, but before she left, Lance called out to her.

"Wait...the least I can do is tell you her name...even though it is against her wishes...Her name is...

Julia."

* * *

Well, there you have it! I gave out her name! Anyone who has been reading the saga starting from "The Honeymoon's Over" should know who she is. She'll be playing an important role in this fan-fic. By the way, most likely I shall not be returning to Ryan and Shadow until Mira and her crew are reunited; then I'll tell the story as a flash back of everything that happened. This will link to the storyline that I planned out. Yes, it concerns Julia and the vital information she needs to tell Mira before it is too late. Well, I hope that you like this chapter! I'll start the next one as soon as I have the time. 


	32. The Champion and the Prophecy

I dedicate this chapter to Delta Knight.

* * *

The door behind her slammed shut, engraved with the same dragon design, and it started glowing blue. Mira already felt her energy slowly returning to her as her body was engulfed with the blue lights illuminating the door and then eventually the halls as well. Soon, they disappeared, and Mira did a quick inspection of her body; the cuts and bruises were gone and her hair was as tidy as it should be. However, it wasnt her appearance that she was so pleased about; she felt a thousand times more energized. She felt the steady fire burning inside of her. Was this passion, or was it just because of her morphing powers? 

Mira started walking forward, and was pondering about that name..._It seemed familiar, and the Champion **did** know my parents...they probably mentioned that name once...probably not that important, but she **is** the champion, so..._

Mira grabbed a Pokeball from her belt, and released Dewdrop. The Espeon blinked a few times, as she had expected another Pokemon to battle.

"_Hi, Mira...What happened while I was in the Pokeball?_"

Mira smiled, hoping that this plan would work. "I'll tell you, if you tell me something else first."

"_What is it?_"

"Does the name _Julia_ sound familiar?"

"_Wait a sec...oh...no...umm..._"

Unsteady silence.

"_Why do you ask?_" finished Mira's sister.

"She's the Champion, and Lance said that she knew mom and dad, so I was hoping that you might know who she is...do you?"

"_Ummm..._"

Another period of unsteady silence...

Mira smiled. "Don't you want to hear my story?"

"_...I want to hear yours, but I don't want to tell mine...not yet, anyways. Wait until you see mom and dad again..._"

Mira sighed; her plan failed. "Okay..." returned her sister to her Pokeball. She then started marching forward again. However, Mira looked ahead, but didn't see anything that resembled an elevator from before, but instead she saw a structure that looked like a stairway.

_Hmm...Lance's room and the Champion's room appear to be on the same floor..._

When Mira reached the stairs, she sighed. She actually missed the silly elevators; now she had to walk up a flight of stairs...it wasn't even a short one.

At the top of the stairs, there was another short hallway, but she saw a huge door at the end. It seemed to be glowing, but in a different way from the dragon doors. When she reached it, she noticed that it had a circular design, almost like a magical circle or ring. It, too, was emitting the same blue light as everything else in this stretch of the building. She touched the door, and the ring started glowing brighter. Mira covered her eyes to block the light; as the light dimmed, she heard the door slowly sliding open. Mira then looked forward and walked into the room.

It was large, and the same circle was engraved on the floor. The walls were even more majestically designed than Lance's room. She then took her attention to the woman standing at the other end of the room. She had a rather soft expression, and she didn't seem old at all; possibly 20 years old. Her dress was also casual; she wore blue jeans, and the only thing formal about what she was wearing was her red jacket. Sitting right next to wear she was standing was an Eevee; it seemed to have an innocence to it, but something told Mira that it wasn't as weak as one would expect. Its stare was penetrating, almost as if it looked right through Mira.

"It's Mira, right?"

"Yes, and..." Mira was just about to say her name, but Lance wasn't supposed to reveal it; she stopped herself just in time.

"My name is Julia, and I'm the Kanto Region Champion. Your father is the Viridian City Gym Leader, isn't he?"

Mira nodded.

"Okay, then I know your parents...I actually have a special message for you."

If Mira was in Flareon form, her ears would have just perked up.

Julia took a deep breath. "It's from...the Legendaries...do you believe me?"

"Actually, I do..."

"Well, if you want to hear it, you need to pass my challenge. I, Julia, Kanto Region Champion, challenge Mira Ketchum to a 2-on-2 Pokemon double battle."

"Okay, I accept your challenge!"

Julia took out a Pokeball from her jacket, and released an Arcanine. She then nodded to the Eevee beside her, and it ran out onto the field.

Mira then drew her two Pokeballs. However, she hesitated before opening them..._Would grandpa really be a good idea to use in this battle?..._

She then put one Pokeball back and grabbed a different one. She launched both, releasing Dewdrop and Sunrise, her two sisters. They nodded to each other and got into a battle stance, until they saw that Eevee. Suddenly, the two Eeveelutions were petrified, but not by fright, but it seemed they were in shock.

Julia ordered the first attack. "Ifrit, Fire Blast! Crystal, Blizzard!"

Mira knew that it was going to be a combo attack. She sensed that something was wrong with her sisters, so against her beliefs, she released an order as well. "Dewdrop, put up a Psychic barrier!"

However, the Espeon didn't react quick enough; by the time that the attack hit, the barrier was only large enough to cover herself. Mira flinched as Sunrise, her big sister, was still hit. Also, not only was there a problem with the defending move, but the attacking move as well. It wasn't a fire and ice combo attack like Julia wanted; it was simply a Fire Blast, as "Crystal" didn't attack.

"Crystal, what's wrong?"

The Eevee almost looked like it was going to burst into tears. "_Sis..._"

Mira was getting a bit worried now. "Dewdrop, wouldn't this be a good time to start explaining?"

"_No, later, but I won't fight..._"

"What do you mean!?"

"_You don't understand...it happened before you were born..._"

Julia was thinking, trying to figure out what was wrong with her Eevee.

However, while everyone was distracted with their own problems, the Arcanine was charging up an Overheat.

"No," screamed Julia, "Hold back!"

It was too late, because the attack was already launched. Mira noticed a blur move across the field, and then there was a big flash of red light. When it cleared, Crystal was on the ground, clearly injured, and everyone else was in shock.

"Okay, what's going on!?" Both Mira and Julia shouted.

"_Julia,_" Crystal groaned, "_I won't fight..._"

"Why not?"

Mira was shocked, and involuntarily blurted out, "You understand Pokemon speech!?"

"Well, umm... I can understand the speech of Pokemon who I sincerely bond with, as some others can...wait a second..."

Julia's face paled.

"Y-You understand Pokemon speech! I didn't know that morphing powers could be hereditary!"

Mira flinched. She knew her parent's secret. "Yeah, ummm...I'm actually a Flareon hybrid..."

"Wait, then those Pokemon..."

"They're my older sisters..."

"But that means..."

"What?"

"You're all related to my Eevee, Crystal!"

"WHAT!? DEWDROP!!!"

The Espeon flinched. "_I'm sorry...should I start explaining?_"

"Of course you should start explaining!"

"Explaining?" said Julia, "I actually need to do some explaining myself..."

"What do you mean?"

Julia sighed. "Mira...before you were born, after your parents got married...they were trapped in Pokemon form and were living as wild Pokemon during mating season...that was when your sisters were born. I was a young and inexperienced trainer then, and when I saw Crystal, or better know by your sisters as Blossom...I decided to catch her...It hurts...I took away a child...I didn't realize that Crystal's parents were human until later...they forgave me, but...your forgiveness has a say in this...do you forgive me?"

"Of course I forgive you; you didn't know."

Dewdrop smiled. She got out of explaining the story to her sister.

Julia sighed again. "Thank you...Let's all get healed up."

As the Champion returned her Pokemon, she realized that she forgot a few things.

"Mira...about our battle...I officially surrender...I didn't know that Crystal would have to fight her family...it wasn't fair for her..."

Mira let her sisters stay out of their Pokeballs, and the group walked to the door. Julia touched it, and it opened to reveal a small yet illuminated room. When they all went inside, the door closed and the room felt as if it was rising; it was an elevator.

"About the message..." Julia said softly.

The door slid open when the elevator stopped moving, revealing a hallway with several doors on the side.

"Just so you know, these rooms are bedrooms for the Elite Four when they stay here, and permanent ones for me, as I live here. One of these, though, is my kitchen, and another is a casual lounge."

She pressed a button next to one of the doors, and it slid open. This room had a TV, several couches, shelves, tables, chairs, and other various things; it was clearly the lounge. Mira and Julia sat down on the sofa, while the Eeveelutions laid on the carpet.

"Mira," said Julia, "A few weeks ago, Mew came and visited me; she told me a prophecy that was created by Arceus. It concerns you, and Mew was originally supposed to tell you and you only, but Mew was weak at the time; it weakens her when she has to move in and out of the barrier that surrounds Arceus's realm. Apparently, you weren't ready to hear the prophecy yet, and Mew was afraid that she wouldn't survive the wait. Thus, she came here and told me instead, and I was to carry on the prophecy to you when you came to battle me. I think that you're ready now..."

Julia took a deep breath.

"Mew said that the prophecy is horribly unstable, which is why there aren't many specifics. Basically, the prophecy isn't necessarily what **is** going to happen but the **conditions** for it to actually happen. These were Mew's exact words:

A being, neither Pokemon nor human, is going to attempt disturbing the fragile balance between human and Pokemon. He shall try to fuse the two races together, harness the gods, and destroy the fabrics of space and time. The only being who can stop him is a Flareon hybrid who goes by the name of Mira Ketchum."

* * *

I apoligize for the wait; I was busy, and it will be a while before the next chapter (as usual). Anyways, I hope you enjoyed that chapter! Now I actually need to start organizing the plot...this is going to be the start of the war between the Legendaries who rule over the world, and Shadow, the crazy Mighteyana morph! 


	33. The Dream

Sorry about that long wait...

* * *

Mira was lying in a bed; not her own bed, but still more comfortable than the ones that she had been sleeping in her entire trip. However, she was still rolling in her bed; she absolutely could not sleep, not after everything that had happened to her that day. Her win against Sarah in the championship, her friends leaving, and her five battles, particularly the one where she could have literally died in, as well as the emotional battle that her sisters had to face against Julia. 

Mira also had to worry about her friends, the partners who she had been travelling with for so long. Her journey had probably seemed longer than reality. However, her friends were off chasing Team Rocket, or what remained of it. Shadow was going to try something...Mira didn't know what, but she knew that it was going to be horribly complicated.

The prophecy as well; that _unstable_ prophecy that Julia told her kept echoing in Mira's head...

_A being, neither __Pokemon__ nor human, is going to attempt disturbing the fragile balance between human and __Pokemon__. He shall try to fuse the two races together, harness the gods, and destroy the fabrics of space and time. The only being __who__ can stop him is a __Flareon__ hybrid who goes by the name of Mira Ketchum..._

Mira knew that her journey in Kanto was probably going to be extended longer than she would prefer. She then realized something; would Shadow actually just limit himself to just Kanto? ...Probably not... However, which region would she want to visit anyways? There was Johto, Hoenn, Shinnoh...possibly Orre if she really wanted to visit it. She had heard a few rumours about it, but no certain facts.

Her mind then wandered back to the prophecy. What would her parents possibly say about it? She never really knew much about her father's adventures...they were probably nothing like she had been faced with, as this was not a typical adventure for a beginner. _Wait, I'm not a beginner, am I?_

_No, I conquered the Indigo League, beat the Elite Four, stopped Team Rocket so many times, developed a team of friends, both human and __Pokemon__...I know how I'll sleep: I need to reflect on my journey. I'll leave out Shadow and the prophecy, and focus on other things, like my friends. I also won't worry about them either; they're fine...Mark__'s fine as well__...Mark__'s fine__Mark__'s__...fine...Mark..._

Mira fell asleep...and she dreamed...it was in a way mysterious...as she opened her eyes.

She was surrounded by pitch darkness, although she could still see her body. Was she dreaming? Yes, but it all seemed so real. She could literally _feel_ the darkness around her. Suddenly, a pink ball of light appeared in front of her. It was out of her grasp, but still close enough for her to see it. It started glowing brighter, and Mira could hear a voice...it seemed familiar...

"Mew?"

"_Mira..._"

"Where am I?"

"_In another dimension...crossed between your dream and reality..._"

Mira was silent...and then without notice another ball of light appeared; this one was gold. It started glowing as well, but this second light illuminated a figure not too far away from her. She could tell that it was a man, possibly in his very early 20's, even though he was not as visible as her own body at the moment. He appeared to have stylish black hair, and he was wearing pyjamas. As unusual as it may seem, Mira knew that it was reasonable, since she was wearing pyjamas as well. However, his face seemed slightly hidden.

"Jirachi?" Mira heard him say.

That must have meant that the ball of light was Jirachi, but it seemed to ignore him. Instead Jirachi floated a bit closer to Mew. "_We're ready, right?_"

"_Yes, we are; I'll start._

_Hello. I brought the two of you closer together today to discuss a rather important topic: Shadow, and his so-called plans. We believe that both of you will be able to handle this situation, and that's why we brought the two of you together_."

"This dimension," interrupted the man, "how does it work?"

"_It connects your minds and auras closer together_."

"...very well."

"_Alright_," said Jirachi, "_It's my turn..._

_We are both here to warn you two. Shadow will try to tear the world apart bit by bit. However, his plans are so diverse that he can start it anywhere at any stage, so we cannot give you specifics. However, he will try to take control of the legendaries. This shall be war between him and the world's gods. We need you to work together if you want the world to survive. Is that clear?_"

"Yes," said the mysterious figure.

"Yes, but...we don't even know each other's names!"

"Not a problem," said the man, "I do and that's all that matters. Mew, Jirachi, if you have nothing further to discuss, may I handle this situation?"

"_Of course_..."

He then turned towards me. "Catch."

I opened up my hand, and a card flew into it. However...

"A blank card?"

"Not quite, as you shall realize eventually..."

"_Alright_," said Mew, "_As you know, we are each your respective guardian, and can be called upon in times of emergency. However, time passes quickly here, and the sun is going to rise. It is necessary that you return to your bodies immediately. Please be ready for the battle ahead of you._"

Suddenly, Mira saw the legendaries and the man dissolve, and the world around her gradually changing from black to white. She felt like she was being pulled away from the dimension. She wanted to scream in fear, but couldn't...

Mira woke up.

She was in her bed again, and the sun shone through the windows. Mira couldn't remember anything about what had happened. She remembered seeing lights, but that was it. However, she felt something in her hand. She looked down. A card. Suddenly, everything came back to her. Mew...Jirachi...that man...

However, it was no longer blank. On it was a saying: "The world is never what it seems." Other than that it was a blank, so Mira started turning and looking at it, but at a certain angle, the words changed to "Be prepared..."

_Is this a holographic card?_

Mira looked at it some more and rubbed it; it was just an ordinary card. However, Mira couldn't help but feel that there was something special about it.

She then heard someone knocking on the door.

"Mira, are you awake yet?"

"Yeah, Julia, I just woke up."

"Okay, come out and have some breakfast."

Once Mira got changed and finished her simple breakfast of cereal, Julia started talking with her.

"How was your sleep?"

"Strange..." Mira told her everything that had happened to her in the dream she had that night, as well as that strange card.

Julia took it and did an inspection as well.

"Weird...so the guy said that it wasn't really blank?"

"Yeah..."

"Hmmm...take out your sister, the Espeon one."

"Alright," Mira said, as she took one of the Pokeballs on her belt. "Dewdrop, come out for a sec."

"Esp?"

Julia showed her the card. "What can you tell us about this?"

It stared at it for a while...and then moved back a bit.

"_Sorry...that card's quite strong..._"

"What do you mean _strong_?"

"_It consists of multiple layers of psychic energy, materialized into a solid form._"

"What!"

"What is it?" asked Julia.

"The card is Psychic energy in a solid form."

"What does that mean, though?"

"_It means that somebody would have to be really smart to put that together. It's stable, as long as it doesn't come in contact with a Dark-type __Pokemon__ or anything with Dark-type properties. That might cause the Psychic layers to break apart."_

"What does that mean as well?"

"Somebody would have to be really smart to make it."

"_No, design it. A psychic type __Pokemon__ would have to have created it, but absolutely know __Pokemon__ would be smart enough to know how to._"

"It means that a Psychic Pokemon would have created it, but only a human would be able to design it," explained Mira to Julia, before she asked for a translation.

"Alright, so now what do we do?"

"Huh?"

"Your friends are looking for Shadow as we speak, so should we go look for them? Where are they? Maybe you should explain your journey to me. Everything, especially encounters with Team Rocket and Shadow."

Mira explained everything, though it took an extremely long time, as Julia always requested for some elaboration. When Mira finished, Julia was silent.

Finally, she said, "Okay, so your friends are in the Sevii Islands, particularly One Island or another in that area, but...I've been thinking...how do you know that Shadow wasn't head in command?"

"He said that he was second in command."

"Ah, but he could be lying. He's stronger than Giovanni, so he could easily be leader, but maybe he was using Giovanni as a cover. Team Rocket is responsible for so many incidents, so he would need someone to handle everyone and everything while he focussed on one thing: his plan."

Mira was silent.

"Should we go look for your friends now?" asked Julia.

"Well...I sort of wanted to ask you this, so I thought that this would be a good time before we start doing anything majorly important...would you train me sometime?"

"I could give you a few pointers, but training a team is up to the trainer's bond with his or her Pokemon. That is what I believe in."

"I believe in that as well, but I did not mean train me as a trainer. I meant train me as a Pokemon."

* * *

I'm on vacation right now on the other side of the planet, so it is going to be harder for me to update. However, I'll try to do so as often as I can. However, I hope that this chapter wasn't too short for everyone, and that you still enjoyed it. Also, check my profile for new polls related to my fan-fics. (Like the one I have on now.) There are some interesting events to come in this story. Also, I'll be spending my entire Christmas break in a foreign country, so no chance returning home before I go back to the free-time-depriving boarding school. 

NEVER THINK THAT I FORGOT ABOUT THIS STORY!!! I'LL ALWAYS UPDATE WHEN I HAVE THE TIME!!!

(I also hope that not too many people abandoned this fan-fic...)


	34. Epilogue

"You mean...that you want me to train you as I would train a normal Pokemon?" asked Julia.

"Yeah...I guess that's one way of putting it..." replied Mira.

"Alright, so can you guess what my answer's going to be?"

"...yes?" Mira said while smiling.

"Of course not! Why would I ever do that to you!?"

"Well, give me some reasons why you _wouldn't_ train me."

"Okay, number 1: We need to look for your friends. Number 2: You beat me in an official battle last night..."

Mira cut her off. "You surrendered because you felt sorry for my sisters and I."

"A win is a win in an official battle. Maybe it would be different if I was just battling for fun, but this is different. Anyways, most importantly, number 3: You are **human**, Mira! Every aspect of you is human, so why would I ever do that to you? You need to remember that! I am **not** going to train a human like I would a Pokemon, especially the human who could easily be officially ranked as Kanto's newest Champion. That would be depriving you of your humanity and who you are as a person."

However, Mira was grinning, almost as she expected that.

"Since I've heard your reasons, I will now make my own point..." she said as she got up and went to her room, even leaving Dewdrop behind.

"Esp?"

Julia leaned on the table, and wondered why the next Champion had to be as stubborn as she was at that age. Suddenly, the bedroom door slid open again, but Mira did not come out. Instead a Flareon walked out with a Pokeball in her mouth. She walked over to where Julia was sitting, and dropped the device at her feet.

"Flareon!" she cried while her tail swayed back and forth.

"Mira? Is that you?"

The Pokemon nodded her head. "Flare!"

"...I've never seen you as a Pokemon before..."

"Flare."

"...but what was that point you wanted to make?"

"Flareon Flare, Flareon!"

"Mira, I don't understand you."

"Flare!" the Flareon cried as she was frantically nodding her head.

"No, I don't understand you, Mira!"

Dewdrop, who was quietly waiting for the conversation to unfold, finally decided to make a comment, before the argument grew any further.

"Esp! Espeon, Esp Esp Espeon!"

"Flare Flareon Flare, Flareon!"

"AHHHH!!!" screamed Julia as she leaned back in her chair.

Both of the Pokemon stared at her, as if she had done something totally absurd.

"Okay," said Julia as she released Crystal from her Pokeball.

"Vee!"

"I need a translation, Crystal, of everything they say. Can you handle it?"

"Eevee!"

"Alright, Mira, start talking again from the beginning."

"Eonnn...Flare Flare Flareon, Flare Flareon Eon Flare!"

"_Okay...but that was exactly my point, you don't understand me, but if you are my trainer our hearts will bond!_" translated Crystal.

Julia was smiling. "Oh, I get! You want to make it so that I understand you while you're in Pokemon form!" However, that smile changed into a subtle frown. "But that's no reason for me to treat a human like a Pokemon!"

"Eon? Flare Flareon Flare Eon Flare? Eon Flareon Flareon Flare, Eon Flare Flareon! Flare Eon Flareon Flare!"

"_Really?__ Do I even hold the slightest resemblance to a human? I look absolutely nothing like a human, because I'm a __Flareon__ Touch my fur and my tail as well if you want!_"

Julia stroked her hand through the girl's fur, and it felt as if she was actually petting a real Pokemon...but this was real as well. She had to decide between her better judgement and the reality and facts. Next she tried the tail, both expecting and receiving the worst. It was indeed real too; it was warm, basically another part of Mira's body.

"Mira, I give up...I don't want to believe it, but your body is that of a Flareon; there is absolutely nothing human about it...The trainer who I was faced with a few minutes ago has moved to the opposite end of the picture: the Pokemon's side of things. However, if you truly want me to be your trainer..." Julia picked the Pokeball off of the ground. "You're going to need to wait." She handed the ball back to the Pokemon. "I'll go against my better judgement and train you, but not right now. There's the prophecy, there's Shadow, and there's also your friends, who we need to look for right now. Mira, please go back to your room and change back."

"Flareon, Flareon Flare Eon. Eooonnnnn."

Mira grabbed took the device out of Julia's hand, and got on her back, staring at her friend as if she was begging.

The Eevee faced her master. "_She wants you to scratch her tummy before she leaves._"

Julia got on the floor and started her request. "Oh, you silly Flareon." When she stopped, Mira got up again, and Julia scratched her head as well. "Go now."

"Flare!"

Once she left, Julia got up and walked over to the nearby phone.

"Hello?...Yes, this is Julia. I would like to request aerial transportation...Where? The Sevii Islands, particularly around the first 3...yes, probably...specifics? Umm...I'm not taking up your time, am I? Oh, good, now let's see..."

* * *

_Unknown location.__ 7:00 am_

I woke up with a big yawn. The morning sun shone through the window, lighting up my bed. I made a quick check, and she was still there, peacefully asleep next to me. I yawned again.

"That dream..." I quietly murmured to myself. "That dimension... and Mira Ketchum...looks like she's going to need my help..."

I took a card from the table next to my bed.

"She's only ten...and she's already cooperating with the Legendaries, even more than her father; Ash had only **encountered** legendaries...I hadn't even started communicating with legendaries until two or three years ago. I guess that that's what happens as times change...I hope that she doesn't have easy access to a Psychic-type...any smart Psychic-type will be able to tell that this is a rather special card..." I started twirling it in my hand. "If she doesn't need to know some things, then might as well keep them secret. The less she knows about who I am, the better...but based on how things are going, it looks that we might meet."

I touched the hyper-computer on my wrist, and its screen lit up with the time, my location, a list of things that I was last looking at, notes I marked down, and several other things that I would prefer not list at the moment.

"Projector on..."

The screen disappeared, and instead the projector activated, displaying the screen in a much larger, spaced out, and more visible hologram.

"Insert card..."

I presented the seemingly normal sheet to the machine, and it was absorbed.

"Make digital copy."

Almost immediately, a digital copy of the card appeared on the screen, and the original reformed in my hand. Both of them clearly said "The world is never what it seems." at one angle, and "Be prepared..." at another.

"Scan globe for precisely exact wave lengths, properties, and components."

Searching...searching...searching..searching...COMPLETE

A picture of the globe appeared, and it zoomed in on the Kanto region...eventually to the Pokemon League Elite Four Base, and then to a particular room on the highest floors.

"Save and track future movements."

COMPLETE

* * *

I hoped you enjoyed that chapter! Please move onto the next story... 


End file.
